Shadow Wrath
by Darkiceflame
Summary: With the Talismans and Demon Chi gone for good, along with Shendu and Drago, only one item of power is left in the Section 13 vault- The Oni of Tarakudo. But what happens when the mask is stolen by a young boy? Read on!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

AN: I'm debating on whether I should continue a few of my stories. So I now call upon the ancient power of fandom to decide.  
I will be placing a poll in my authors page on which series' (is that the plural?) I should keep/ work more on.

Anyway, here is my Jackie Chan story. Enjoy.

"The mask of Tarakudo" the boy remarked quietly. "A weapon capable of releasing unknowable destruction upon any who oppose the wearer."  
The boy smiled inwardly. The stories of Tarakudo and the Oni had been told to him as a child back in his home of Kyoto Japan. But he had never believed them to be true.  
Until now, as he sat in the air duct looking down at the security screen. He'd pieced together the information needed to discover the fate of the Oni King. He had been sealed inside his own mask when his generals had tried to blanket the earth in darkness.  
"A shame that so strong a ruler is now trapped in a piece of driftwood" the boy smirked. "If only one of his followers knew where he was, so they could break him out of his cell. But who would do that?"  
He gazed down at the security card labeled J. Chan hanging around his neck.  
"It's me, Taichi, of course. And soon, I will have enough power to take my revenge on Jackie Chan."  
Taichi realized that someone had the potential to hear him. He covered his mouth and checked the cameras.  
Nobody was coming. The security was out on a donut break.  
After all, nobody broke into Section 13 anymore. Why would security be an issue?  
Removing a small screwdriver from his backpack, Taichi set to work. Within minutes, the grate was separated.  
"Perfect. Nobody heard it" Taichi gloated to himself. Since Tsu wasn't here to witness it, Taichi was sending everything he said to a nearby radio station, so that Tsu would be able to know what was happening.  
Taichi skillfully manipulated the cameras to loop the last ten minutes of footage. It would give him a head start.  
He pulled on his Shadowhood, concealing his face entirely behind the black polymer. Nobody would be able to catch any footage of his head, or know who he was.  
Then again, since the world had physical proof that he was dead, who would recognize him?  
Better safe than sorry, in case he was spotted.  
He then deactivated the alarm system around the vault. Nobody could know he was here.  
Sneaking down the corridors, Taichi made it into the hallway to the vault. This was almost too easy. It was as if Tarakudo was stopping all the guards from spotting him.  
Sliding the card, he was given access to the vault. Inside was a small room.  
Since Shendu, the talismans, and the individual Oni masks no longer were in this realm, the room was bare, save for a central pedestal sporting a small wooden mask.  
The mast in question resembled the face of a tiger, except more humanoid. It looked as though it had not been touched since the day Jackie Chan had locked it in here.  
Then again, it probably hadn't.  
"Master Tarakudo, I am here to remove you from this confinement" Taichi announced. He knew there was a risk of someone overhearing, but Tsu had heard nothing for several minutes, vso he decided he had to say something.  
"Mouse in maze snatches cheese" he said, for no apparent reason.  
(AN: Who knows what this line is from? Put what it's from and who wrote it in reviews)  
The mask was extremely light. He placed it in his pack, expecting a clean getaway.  
Of course, life had to go and bite him from behind.  
"What are you doing here?" came a familiar voice from behind him. He knew immediately who it was.  
"Ah, the ex-queen arrives to stop the crown's return to her" Taichi said cryptically. "Sorry Miss Chan, but Tarakudo is coming with me."  
"How do you know who I am?" The teenage girl asked.  
"Oh, everyone knows who you are, Jade Chan" Taichi replied. "Especially me. We have many similar interests. For example. We both enjoy summoning Shadowkahn to do our bidding. And I'm going to have a chance for the first time in mere hours!"  
Jade stared hard at her mystery thief. he looked about her height. Had she seen him before?  
"I can't let you leave" she concluded. "You are in possession of property belonging to Section 13. Return it to its place, and I will act like this never happened." Jade spoke with confidence. Taichi knew he had to crush that.  
"Sorry, that's not possible" Taichi replied. Before Jade could even register his sentence, a kunai came flying toward her. It pinned her jacket to the wall. It was joined an instant later by a second one, effectively trapping her.  
"Let me go!" Jade cried.  
"You think I'm stupid?" Taichi asked. "You think I'd belive your little speech for even a second? I am one of the most skilled thieves in the entire country! Now good day madame."  
With that, Taichi launched several more kunai, pinning the jacket down to the point that it would be impossible for Jade to get out without help.  
He closed the vault door, before crushing the controls. Nobody would know what he'd done for several hours.  
And Jade wouldn't have a chance to squeal.  
He stared down fondly at Tarakudo's mask as he reached the phone booth/ elevator.  
The Oni prince, he thought idly. He liked the sound of that.  
"Rest assured Tarakudo, your champion has secured you."  
But why put on the mask, only to have its power corrupt him? He wouldn't be able to stand having Tarakudo controlling his actions, even if he was the chosen mask bearer.  
"Sorry Tsu, but I have a better way of doing this" he said quietly.  
Removing several things from his pack, Taichi brought out a large pot, a small cooking stove, and several other ingredients.  
He mixed them together before carefully plucking one of his own hairs from his head, and adding it to the potion.  
He was Japanese, and his mother had claimed that one of his ancestors was a samouri, so the ingredient was accepted.  
Taichi waited for the potion to start glowing, before beginning a Japanese incantation.  
Nukeru, He Men Jaaku. Nukeru, He Men Jaaku." he began chanting. In most cases, this incantation would be used to remove Oni masks from their wearers.  
This time, he was only removing the power.  
As the bluish aura surrounded the mask, Taichi began passing his hand over it. A blue line of Chi appeared, connecting the mask to his hand.  
A flash of light insured. He felt the power of Tarakudo surge into him.  
And with it came the King of Oni's rage.  
"Fool! How dare you steal my power away! I would have been free again if you put the mask on!" Tarakudo's rage exploded inside Taichi's head.  
"Sorry master Tarakudo, but it was essential that I not release the Demon Generals along with you, their presence would... complicate things." Taichi replied craftilly, to which Tarakudo was struck speechless for a moment. He had not expected his bearer to be so young.  
The other generals, however, had no trouble making their outbursts.  
"Hey! What is that supposed to mean? Came the voice of one of the Demon Generals. "Is our presence a threat of some sort?"  
"Of course not, great General... whichever Demon General you are. I only meant that you would not see to my plight. This way, I may release you into this world as Tarakudo sees fit. I am your center point. With me, you cannot be defeated."  
"I am Ikizuki, so that you know. But what do you mean when you say 'cannot be defeated' young one?" the demon asked.  
"As a center point of your beings, I have the ability to send you to any place of your wish. You would have free movement to wherever you want to go." Taichi replied dramatically.  
The Demons thought this over for a minute, before one answered.  
"I, for one, see this as a great advantage. The boy can be of use to us. He can enter places Demons cannot, and could allow us access to places no demon has ever gone before!"  
There was a roar of agreement.  
"I require one small service in exchange for being your central point." Taichi cut in.  
The generals fell silent. They had been so excited over the prospect of access to riches untold, that they had completely forgotten that the deal would likely have a catch.  
I require a small amount of each of your powers. As your host, I cannot go around unprotected, and the power to summon the Shadowkhan would be a monumental asset.  
"This small service is all that I require in exchange for your freedom of passage- so long as Tarakudo sees your choices fit."  
The generals mulled it over for a while.  
"You do not need to answer immediately. I simply will go about a few "errands" while you decide."  
With that, he packed up his supplies, and set off.

"Where have you been?" Tsu asked angrily as Taichi entered the abandoned water tower. "You arrive almost an hour after getting clear, you say that you 'have to do' something which I know nothing about, and you expect to just walk in here?"  
"Yes, I do" Taichi replied. "You know I'm your most valuable partner. Plus, the Oni is secure. I am ready to activate it."  
Tsu raised an eyebrow at Taichi's comment, but said nothing. He knew it was the truth.  
"Then put the bloody mask on! Do you think Tarakudo will want to wait any longer? Do it!"  
"Yes Tsu" Taichi accepted. He slowly slid the shell of Tarakudo's Oni onto his face.  
"A small favor master Tarakudo" he asked mentally. "Is there any way of giving the appearance that the Oni mask is being destroyed?"  
"It would only reform, but I can burn it" Tarakudo replied.  
"Do it" Taichi said aloud.  
"Do what?" Tsu asked.  
"Nothing. I just was thinking. But why is nothing happening to-"  
His question was cut short as the mask burst into flames. He screamed as the wood was almost immidiately devoured.  
"What happened? Why did it catch fire? Did Tarakudo wake?" Tsu began rattling off questions.  
"I don't know why the mask burned, but I feel... stronger." Taichi replied shakily "Show me" Tsu commanded.  
So Taichi summoned together his power, told Tarakudo to act like he'd just been freed, and drew the King of Oni from his mind.  
A roar broke out as The beastial form of Tarakudo materialized. The King of Oni was a fearsome being. With his tiger-style face which matched his mask, he was humanoid, but his skin was a deep orange. His rippling muscles made him look like he could take out a few dozen armed soldiers within a few minutes.  
"I, the great Tarakudo, have returned to earth!" the King roared ferally. He turned to Taichi.  
"Thank you for releasing me... forgive me, but I do not know your name." he said in a much calmer manner.  
"My name's Taichi, but you can call me what you wish." Taichi bowed respectfully.  
"Then I shall call you Kumori Mikoto, the Shadow Prince, because you braved the endless shadows to release me" Tarakudo declared. "Kumori for short." He added.  
Kumori is Japanese for Shadow, Taichi thought. A decent name. The name worthy of an Oni master.  
"I am honored master Tarakudo" Kumori declared solomnly. "But now, I must save my strength. Keeping you in the physical world drains my strength, an I will need it for our first task tomorrow."  
Tarakudo raised an eyebrow. "What task is this?"  
Kumori smiled devilishly. "I thought we would start by bringing the queen back to her throne."  
"You don't mean..." Tarakudo began.  
"I do" Kumori replied. "Tomorrow, we have an appointment with Jade Chan."

_  
Three miles away, in a small shop, a large man known as Torhu was cataloguing vases. Even though Uncle had tought him all that he could, he still enjoyed working at the shop. It was actually rather fun to find where everything went. He fit it together like some great jigsaw puzzle.  
Suddenly, a tingling sensation went down his spine. His massive form shook with some sort of anticipation.  
"Tohru? What is wrong?" Uncle asked from the storage room.  
"The..." Torhu started to say.  
"Spit it out Tohru! Uncle is not patient tonight! Jackie just called to tell Uncle that Jade is nowhere to be found. One more thing! The security panel to the vault in which they keep Tarakudo's mask has been destroyed and is unopenable. They-"  
Tohru looked startled at the mention of Tarakudo.  
"Sensei" he said slowly. "You say Tarakudo's mask was in the vault that was sabotaged?"  
"Yes, Uncle should not have to repeat self. One more thing! Why you say 'was'? The mask is still there... Is it not?"  
"I think not" Tohru replied. "I have the willies, and the last time that happened was whenever an Oni was activated. Someone may have taken Tarakudo's mask."  
Tohru and Uncle looked at each other for a moment before saying at the same time: "Jade!"  
How wrong they were...

AN: How do you like the first chapter? There was not much action in here, besides the vault scene, but there will be more later on.  
Even Fire and Ice have a Dark side... 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

AN: If you see a sentence that looks like this: *sentance*, it means that the person is speaking telepathically. (Ex: *I hate cheese* said Bobby)  
Also, my Neo's word processor doesn't do italics, so a word like this means italicized (unless I change it in editing): {example}

There are many things in life that cause us to look at ourselves and think: "What have I done to deserve what has happened to me?"  
Yes, don't deny it, we've all thought it. At some point or another in this grand world of ours, we think life to be unfair. It's almost as if it's purposely tripping us up, and getting us to make mistakes.  
Jade Chan was experiencing one of those times.  
"That son of a dog-faced little..." Jade muttered for what was most likely the hundredth time.  
As you may remember, when we left our story, Jade had just been pinned to the wall by a flurry of Japanese throwing darts, courtesy of Taichi (who is now referred to as Kumori).  
"I can't believe he managed to get into the vault. There's no way he would have been able to get past security, much less even find this place." she muttered to herself.  
The kid had probably been her age, a boy, by the sound of his voice. But his actions had been that of a trained professional. Jade knew fully that if one of those deadly Kunai had made contact, she would be dead, or dying, from blood loss, or even having one of her organs punctured.  
"Whoever he was, he knew what he was doing, and with the Oni of Tarakudo, there's no telling what sort of power he'll obtain!" Jade shook her head in disgust. She had been reduced to talking to herself again. She'd developed the habit a few years earlier. She couldn't help it though, things just got too quiet and boring some times.  
Jade had kept a very tight lid on the fact that she was AD/HD. If one knew about it, the signs were obvious. Even though she was nearly fourteen years old now, she couldn't seem to keep still. She always had to be doing something to calm her nerves. She found anything that didn't involve a large amount of excitement or movement (or both) boring, and even then, she easily lost track of those things. She'd been extremely embarrassed during a robbery, when her attention had been diverted, just as the criminal shot past her. The humiliation had been horrible.  
Even Jackie had only recently learned of her disability. He had put it down to simple youthful energy at first, but after a few years, she had been forced to tell him the truth.  
In the midst of Jade's reminiscing, a loud clang echoed from the other side of the vault. The agents outside had managed to break through the soundproofed covering of the vault. Why a vault had to be soundproof, she didn't know.  
"Jade!" came Jackie's voice. "Are you in there?"  
"Yes!" Jade called back.  
"Stand aside!" came a voice she recognized very well.  
"Jade!" Uncle called through the hole. "Do you have the Mask of Tarakudo?"  
"No, someone broke in here and stole it! I heard the noise, and decided to investigate. It was a boy, about my age, and he seemed to know me. Then he used these little dart things to pin me to the wall!" Jade replied.  
"Do not worry Jade!" came Jackie's voice. "We will have you out of there momentarily."  
"Tch, it's gonna take at least another hour to get in I'll bet" Jade said shaking her head.  
As it turned out, it took a mere ten minutes to cut the way into the vault. Jade was impressed.  
"so, thieving boy took mask knowing what it was?" Uncle ribbed Jade. "And he said he knew you from somewhere?"  
"Yeah, but from the way he was talking, I bet he didn't know that the one controlling the kick-butt ninjas would be Tarakudo, not him" Jade replied.  
"Didn't know? Or knew a way to control them without Tarakudo's influence?" Tohru asked.  
"No way!" Jade protested. "If there was a way to take the ninja powers without being controlled by demons, we would have used it... wouldn't we?"  
Uncle looked down at the floor, hesitant to respond. "It is... possible to link the Chi to one's soul without being taken over by its influence. But it is dark magic. Ripping the Chi out of a living thing and fusing it to your own is something even Uncle would not dare try."  
"But Freakboy knows how to do it" Jade guessed. "And now he has the powers of all nine Demon Generals and can-"  
"Not necessarily" Uncle interrupted. "The host would only be able to access each General's power if given consent, since they are all separate beings, and the Chi in the mask is that of Tarakudo."  
"So our thief now has ten new occupants of his head?" asked Captain Black as he walked up.  
"Precisely" Uncle replied. "But I imagine they will force him to show his strength to them first."  
"He's not going to like that" Jade commented.

As it turned out, Kumori was indeed upset at the Generals' reply to the request.  
"What?" he shrieked at Ikizuki, who was currently materialized before him. "You will only grant me one of the Shadowkahn powers? And the least of them at that?"  
Ikizuki was not deterred. "Eight tasks boy. For each task you accomplish, we will grant you another fraction of our power."  
"Master Tarakudo, make Ikizuki see sense! I require power from all breeds of Shadowkahn to restore the power of shadows to the Queen!"  
*Patience Kumori, I see this as a test of will, leadership, and courage. I agree with this idea, so let the Demon Quests begin!* came Tarakudo's answer. This was met by a roar of applause from the other Generals.  
*Please, please! I have only one mind, I cannot have it fried with your constant jabbering* Kumori reminded the enthusiastic horde inside his skull.  
"Very well boy, if you accept the quest, please summon my brother Kaito so that he may bestow his Shadowkahn upon you, we don't want you completely without aid" Ikizuki commanded.  
(AN: Ikizuki is the only Demon General who actually has his name revealed, so the other eight Generals' names are self given, except Kaito, which I got from another fanfic.)  
Kumori did as Ikizuki asked, bringing forth Kaito, General of the Ninja Khan, into being.  
"Your first gift is mine" Kaito said simply. He then caused his shadow to stretch forth and touch Kumori's own.  
Kumori felt a surge of power as the power over the first form of Shadowkahn entered him.  
Instantly, he changed. His dark bronze hair became jet-black. His skin took on a faint blue tinge. The only other clearly discernable feature change was the slight reddish tinge to his pupils.  
"This is the form of a Demon Prince in training" Kumori said approvingly.  
If you are prepared, the time draws near" Ikizuki told him. "The object of your first quest will be an orb full of Demon magic. This orb will be created by Morozoni and flung to a location which he has chosen. Success in recovering the orb will grant you Morozoni's power to summon the Razor Khan."  
Kumori smiled in anticipation. Razor Khan were humanoid, but with deadly spikes in place of fingers and feet.  
"I will summon Morozoni, so that he may release the Demon orb" Kumori said, allowing Kaito to slip back into the folds of his mind. He then drew forth Morozoni from his thoughts.  
Morozoni's Oni was a purple demonic face, sporting horns and wild eyes. He was similar in build to the Razor Khan who he commanded.  
"I release the orb of Morozoni!" the orb's namesake stated. A cloud of dark energy then formed in his palm. The cloud shifted into a sphere, before leaping into the sky.  
"Your first test will be to retrieve my orb. I have placed it at the top of..."

"The Statue of Liberty?" Jackie asked in confusion. "That is where the dark Chi you detected is?"  
"Indeed" Uncle responded. "Uncle is sure that Dark Chi has something to do with Shadowkahn boy. We must go there at once!"  
"Alright!" Jade applauded. We're going to New York!"  
"You are not coming Jade, this is my job, not yours."  
Uncle then gave Jackie a signature two-fingered slap to the head. Jackie yelped in pain.  
"Have you learned nothing in the last four years?" Uncle scolded. "Even if you tell Jade no, she will still follow somehow! One more thing! Since Jade has been accepted as official member of Section 13, you do not have the authority to stop her!"  
"I know Uncle" Jackie replied. "But I still feel inclined to say it. She is too young to be a secret agent!"  
"Demon boy is too young to command Shadowkahn, but does anyone stop him? No!" Uncle shot back.  
Jackie had nothing to say to this. He thought for a moment before giving in.  
"Alright, Jade may come" he relented. "But Brooklyn will be dangerous! We should take reinforcements!"  
"It's just a kid Jackie, we don't need anyone but ourselves to take him down" Jade said cheerily.  
"Yes, but he has access to all nine types of Shadowkahn now!"  
Uncle cut in. "Uncle does not think so! Demons will not be willing to give access of their power so quickly, they will test the boy first, which is probably what the Dark Chi at the statue is: the goal of his test! One more thing! Magic must defeat magic! You cannot bring any Section 13 personnel, they will be useless!"  
Jackie sighed. "Some day, we really need to hire more Chi wizards to help us fight magic creatures."  
"We could call the Enforcers!" Jade suggested. "They have experience with magic that could be valuable to us!"  
"Indeed, let us see if they can meet us in Brooklyn" Tohru suggested.  
"It's settled then" Jackie concluded. "We will leave for Brooklyn as soon as possible!"

Kumori really hated airports.  
Since he could not legally receive a license to handle dangerous poisons and Japanese weapons, security was always a toughie.  
But he had discovered that his new Shadowkahn minions could pull other objects into the shadows, then return them at any point.  
*The ultimate criminals* he had described them to Tarakudo. *They can enter the shadows at will, escaping from enemies easily.*  
*You can as well* Tarakudo had told him. *If you concentrate, you may enter a shadow and travel through the Shadow Realm. It is un paralleled as a way of travel.*  
Sadly, it would take him several more tries before he could travel to other locations through the shadows. The first time he tried, it resulted in him ending up inside a toilet bowl. The toilet had been occupied at the time, and it had taken a full three hours before he stopped vomiting.  
So he was sticking to air travel. Much more reliable, and it never dropped you off in places which shouldn't be visited.  
In moments, he was waiting at the gate. When he was sure that nobody was looking, he summoned two Shadowkahn.  
"I want you two to keep a lookout for Chan and his friends. They'll be heading to Brooklyn as well, and we don't want them to interfere."  
The Shadowkahn nodded, but before they could leave, Kumori cast a spell over them to make them look like passengers.  
Kumori then summoned one more Shadowkahn. After disguising it, he told it to listen for their flight number, and alert him when it was time to go. He then went to sleep.  
The only downside to being able to summon dark minions on command was that it drained his energy greatly. He required vast amounts of sleep and food to keep his strength from sapping away. He knew he should eat, but a nap wouldn't hurt first...

"Is there no way we can travel in a way other than the regular airlines?" Jackie asked as he met up with the others after passing through the metal detector.  
"Section 13 doesn't want to raise suspicion" Tohru replied. "Besides, I have a good feeling about traveling commercially."  
Just then, a shiver traveled up Jade's spine. She turned to see two tourists in matching khaki shorts and yellow floral-patter shirts staring at her. As soon as they made eye contact, the men's eyes grew wide. They turned at the exact same time to begin walking toward the gate which the Chans were about to approach.  
"Jackie? I get the feeling that Freakboy is already here" Jade said pointedly.  
Jackie turned to see the two men. "Uncle, what do you make of those two?"  
Uncle pointed the blowfish which he always carried at the men. A greenish aura surrounded the fish, before sparking gold.  
"Feh, a simple disguising spell" Uncle scoffed. "Those men are not what they seem."  
"Not what they seem, as in, they're trying to hide their ninja outfits?" Jade guessed.  
"Shadowkahn" Jackie said, understanding what Jade was inferring. "We need to go. Now."

Kumori was rudely awakened by two unknown men. He had no idea who they were, until he remembered that he had cast a disguising spell on them.  
"If you're back, that means Chan is here" Kumori said grumpily. "Which means a fight is coming up. Oh goody"  
He snapped his fingers, and the Shadowkahns' weak disguises melted away. Screams were heard as the ninjas revealed their true nature.  
"Attack Chan, but don't harm the girl, she is important. Also, beware of the sumo and the Chi wizard; they are much stronger at magic than they appear."  
The ninjas nodded, they stood at attention, preparing for the confrontation.

Jade was the first one into the room. She spied the Shadowkahn and immediately went on the attack.  
"Kyah!" she cried before leaping out with a flying kick. She hit the ninja with surprising power, sending the unprepared warrior sprawling back, but oddly, the ninja turned and ignored her. She came at it again, punching and kicking wildly. The Shadowkahn endured the blows, not even trying to counterstrike. Jade soon became exasperated, the ninja soon jumped into the fray, as if she didn't even exist.  
The other Shadowkahn reacted the same. They attacked the other three, but didn't even try to touch her.  
"Are they afraid of me or something?" she asked quizzically.  
"Quite the opposite actually" came the reply from behind her. She spun around to find that the boy controlling the Shadowkahn standing there.  
"Uncle was right then, you stole the Chi from the Oni mask for yourself!"  
"Well, I didn't want a giant tiger possessing me during my plan. No offense master Tarakudo" Kumori replied.  
"Wait, Tarakudo speaks to you in your head?" Jade asked.  
"Not always" Kumori replied. "Sometimes, I am able to summon him into the real world, but it is exhausting.  
"But enough small talk. My associates will only attack the others in your group, but believe me, I wont hold back."  
Kumori launched himself forward with a snarl. Jade managed to sidestep and plant a foot into his gut.  
Kumori howled in pain at the sudden attack, but quickly recovered, a grin plastered on his face.  
"You are really quite good. It's too bad that the Chi wizard managed to remove Tarakudo's mark from you" Kumori smirked. "Have you ever considered changing sides?"  
The answer came in the form of a fist aimed straight toward her face. With inhumane reflexes, he caught her fist and flipped her around, slamming her against a chair.  
Jade's head flared up with pain. She saw stars as Kumori lifted her once more.  
Meanwhile, Jackie and Tohru were barely holding out against three Shadowkahn. The stun spells Tohru used didn't seem to affect the ninjas. They didn't dissipate into smoke as they usually did either. In other words, the fight wasn't going well.  
Uncle was currently in a trance, attempting to conjure a spell to force the ninjas back into the shadows.  
"Perhaps there's a way to bring you into my plans earlier than I had planned" Kumori said, half to himself, as he held Jade up against a wall. "You are clearly the biggest menace to my mission. But I will have to wait if I want to conjure a spell strong enough."  
Kumori snapped his fingers and the Shadowkahn sprang to him.  
"We need a slight detour. Take me to the plane's hold." he said, just quietly enough that the Chans couldn't hear.  
Two Shadowkahn grabbed him by either arm. The four figures melted quickly into the shadows. Jackie and the others were left alone in a ransacked airport terminal.  
"Uh... when does the flight leave?" Jackie asked the attendant at the counter. The poor man shakily told them that the flight would be leaving as soon as they could gather the passengers who still wanted to go on the plane. He stated that he would then be leaving work and retiring.  
Jade mused over what Kumori had said. It seemed like he had been making plans with someone who she couldn't see toward the end. The question was: Where had they gone?

Kumori waited patiently in the cargo hold. He was practicing a technique which Ikizuki had been teaching him. It involved changing the shapes of shadows and moving them around with one's will.  
Ikizuki had, in a way, become Kumori's mentor. He saw the boy's potential, despite giving him a cold and careless approach at first. He was living proof that you shouldn't judge a person by a first impression alone. Then again, it might have something to do with the fact that Kumori was another demon now, and Ikizuki was the strongest general, resulting in him gaining temporary freedom more often than others.  
Either way, Ikizuki had taken Kumori under his wing to teach him. And Kumori was very grateful, it resulted in his being able to learn amazing tricks that no demon could do.  
"Focus" Ikizuki intoned. "Your will must be higher than the shadow's. A shadow may seem weak and volatile, but it is a fierce and primal force. You must push your will against its own, and success will be physically pushing it." Ikizuki demonstrated by forcing the shadow of a piece of luggage to disperse. It formed into a storm of shadowy daggers, then went flying into a piece of luggage.  
"With true skill, you can supply a Shadowkahn master with shadows to use, or you can send shadow messages to others."  
Kumori straightened up. Shadow messages? That gave him an idea.  
Focusing all his energy, he threw an invisible fist of Chi at the shadow, pulverizing it, then forcing it into words.  
Focusing on the destination of the shadowy message, he waved his hand and pushed the shadows along, until they came to rest on the back of one of the chairs in the main section of the plane.  
Ikizuki followed the message along its path until it stopped. He was surprised at Kumori's choice of recipient.

Sitting in one of the seats, Jade suddenly noticed small shadowy letters oozing up the back of the seat in front of her.  
{The name is Kumori, remember it} the message read. Jade knew who had sent it.  
"Uncle!" she called. But even as Uncle turned to look, the words dripped downward and vanished.

"That was excellent for a first try!" Ikizuki exclaimed. "For a half-human, you are very skilled at manipulation."  
"I've had practice" Kumori muttered, mostly to himself.

"Taichi, you nasty boy! Give that back this instant!" the woman insisted. "You know that doesn't belong to you!"  
Taichi shook his head in annoyance. He'd found the ring on the ground, finders keepers was his rule.  
But looking into Isuna's face, he knew persuasion was in order.  
"But Mrs. Kamaya, you don't need this any more, it's not like you {use} it for anything now. I would put it to good use!" he said innocently.  
Isuna Kamaya normally would have insisted upon it, she was a woman who didn't take no for an answer. But something about Taichi's words seemed to entice her.  
"Well... It's true that I don't actually use it, I just wear it." she said in a slightly dazed voice. "You may keep it."  
Taichi's mother said he had a gift. She claimed that he would be able to talk his way out of his own death one day.  
Taichi didn't enjoy this type of attention. People would constantly ask him for help about convincing someone of something. It made him feel like a tool in someone else's control.  
When his mother asked if she could have Taichi at her court case when she had been caught with a stranger in bed, Taichi couldn't take it any more.  
That very night, Taichi had run away from his home in Kyoto, and left his mother to her fate. He promised himself that he would never again be used as someone's tool.

Six years later, here he was: squatting over in the cargo bay of a jet plane with a Demon as old as the city of Kyoto itself.  
Life works in strange ways, doesn't it?  
They touched down in Brooklyn a few hours later. Since he had left his luggage in the Shadow Realm, Kumori simply waved his hand and found himself on the runway.  
"Move out" he ordered. "We have approximately thirty minutes before Chan is on our tail. We need transportation, and fast."  
*If I might make a suggestion* Tarakudo said lightly. *The Shadowkahn could- in theory- guide you through the Shadow Realm correctly.*  
"Why didn't you say that before I took a plunge into a toilet?" asked Kumori out loud.  
*I wanted you to learn the power for yourself* Tarakudo replied. *But now that you are putting your learning into practice, I suggest that you follow the... best aproach.*  
"Fine then" Kumori decided. "Take me to the Statue of Liberty!" he commanded. The Shadowkahn snapped to attention. They opened a hole in the shadows and led Kumori along within the darkness toward their destination.

"I remember the first time we went to the Statue of Liberty, do you?" Jade asked as they carried their luggage to the exit of the airport.  
"If I recall, I had just been convicted of being a thief, we met- and were duped- Viper for the first time, and the snake talisman turned the whole Statue of Liberty invisible" Jackie replied.  
"Good times!" said Jade jokingly.  
Just then, Tohru caught sight of a familiar group of people standing near a small bus.  
"I believe our ride is here" said Tohru happily.  
The Enforcers welcomed their friends enthusiastically. Finn, Ratso, Chow, and Hak Foo had been living in New York for the last while, so they could be near the new homes of their nephews.  
"The Chan Express is ready for boarding" said Finn happily. "Perfectly suitable for any Wizard, martial artist, or sumo that happens to come along."  
"It is good to see you again" said Jackie kindly. "But right now, our concern is for the boy who has now acquired the power to summon Shadowkahn."  
"I haven't heard too much about this kid yet" said Finn. "What's he like?"  
"The name he told me is Kumori, the Japanese word for shadow, or darkness" Jade answered. He is only able to summon ninja Shadowkahn right now, but if he gets whatever it is the Demon Generals put on top of the statue, he'll get a new breed."  
"So you need our expertise in dark magical objects to know what it is, and how to keep it away from him, right?" Chow guessed.  
"You got it!" Jade replied.  
"Well get in!" said Ratso. The Chans and Tohru did so.  
"Taxi driver gets rider to appointment on time!" called Hak Foo from the driver's seat. He then proceeded to floor the accelerator and send them shooting off like a rocket.

Kumori could have used the elevator, but what fun would that have been? Instead, he jumped into the air and began to climb up the side of the enormous copper monument.  
Every once in a while, he was unable to proceed past a large gap, so he simply formed a bridge of shadow to aid his ascent; this helped him greatly in his task.  
Meanwhile, the Demon Generals observed Kumori's actions and spoke amongst themselves.  
*He has the power of flight, so why doesn't he use it?* one demon asked.  
*He's obviously attempting to conserve his energy* another replied.  
*Conserve it?* snapped Kaito. *He's using four times the strength by climbing the blasted statue!*  
*Perhapse he is trying to show off his endurance to us* Morozoni argued. *My orb is certainly worth the effort*  
*Oh please* Ikizuki cut in. *Your Shadowkahn are hardly worth the trouble.*  
*And yet my Shadowkahn were nearly the death of Jackie Chan, while you almighty samuri warriors were but a mere annoyance!* Morozoni snapped.  
"Not to interrupt or anything guys, but I'm trying to climb a thousand foot tall statue here" Kumori complained.  
*You really don't need to put yourself through so much excess endurance* Tarakudo told him. *I would prefer it if you saved your energy in case Chan arrives!*  
"Yes sir" Kumori muttered. He released his grip on the wall and began floating upward.  
"I will soon prove myself to be the true elite!" Kumori decided. "I will be the Prince of Shadows! And every prince must have a beautiful princess..."  
Soon, the top of the statue's torch was visible above him. He knew that was where Morozoni's Demon Orb resided.

"I spot one bogey aproaching the top of the torch, which has been specified as a non-entry area, over" said Jade into her walkie talkie.  
"You are not James Bond" complained Uncle. "So stop talking like him! One more thing! Uncle is right next to you. It is not necisarry to yell into voice transfer device!"  
Jade sighed in annoyance. Of all the people, she had to be paired up with Uncle, Ratso and Hak Foo. She would have much preferred Jackie or Tohru, but Jackie said that those three could best protect her "from both magic and physical attack".  
"I'm talking to Jackie Uncle" Jade told him patiently. Uncle didn't have much knowledge in the way of modern advancement. He had once crushed Jade's laptop because Tohru had minimized his online auction of some of his valuable items. He had decided that the laptop was "bad Chi" and promptly beat it to smithereens.  
Suddenly, Shadowkahn burst from their hiding places in the shadows and surrounded the quartet.  
They were herded over to an old pulley elevator system, where Jackie, Tohru, Finn and Chow were being guarded.  
The group was ushered into the lift. The pulley began to turn, and the group was lifted up to the top level.  
"I waited for you" Kumori said simply. "I've set it all up. You can only watch as I absorb the second demon power for myself!"  
"He reminds me of Drago" Jackie whispered.  
"Silence!" Kumori bellowed. "You can do nothing against me!"  
"Says you!" Chow exclaimed. He quickly brought his fist into the gut of the nearest Shadowkahn.  
Surprisingly, the Shadowkahn collapsed into smoke on contact. It was astounding. Earlier, Jackie and Tohru had been unable to make a dent on the Shadowkahn, but Chow had just slugged one into oblivion.  
Kumori raised an eyebrow in genuine curiosity.  
"So you're the most recent bearer of the Oni" Kumori remarked. "I was under the impression that you were working {against} Chan."  
"Three words pal" said Chow, pushing his glasses up on his nose. "Under. New. Management!"  
He spin kicked a second Shadowkahn, then began mowing them down.  
"Why is Chow the only one who can destroy the Shadowkahn?" Jackie asked.  
"Aiyah!" Uncle cried. "Chow was the last person to wear these Shadowkahns' original Oni mask! Thus, he is the only one who can harm them!"  
Kumori swore quietly. They now knew how his Shadowkahn could be defeated. But, hopefully, they probably didn't have the wearer of Morozoni's Oni with them... did they?  
Kumori was willing to take that chance. He began floating up towards the Orb of Morozoni, but a flying kick from the side sent him sprawling.  
"No way you're going to take that orb demon" Jade said triunphantly.  
Kumori growled in annoyance. This girl was going to be a hard one to break. He would need to amass even more power before trying to confront her.  
"We will battle soon, but not today!" Kumori cried. Then, with reflexes that seemed like they would belong to a demon (that was a really bad pun), he threw her off of him and continued rising toward his goal.  
Jade just so happened to land on Chow's head. Luckilly, the combined magic of cartoons and fanfiction kept them both alive.  
"That's gonna make it hard for them to finish off my ninjas!" Kumori growled in pleasure.  
But Jade was smarter than most people gave her credit for. She had managed to pick up Chow and start swinging his arms in wide arcs. When the unconscious man's arms hit a Shadowkahn hard enough, it exploded into black smoke.  
Suddenly, all the Shadowkahn withdrew into the darkness once more. Jade was confused, until she saw Kumori.  
The boy was standing atop the very highest tip of the statue's torch. He was currently trying to yank out a small black orb.  
"I assume that's the orb we were trying to stop him from getting?" Jade asked.  
"It is" said Uncle. "And now that Kumori has the orb, he will control another brand of Shadowkahn!"  
Kumori cackled with delight. "Morozoni, I have your orb! Now tell me how to activate it!"  
*Simply smash it against your shadow, and the power is yours* Morozoni replied.  
Kumori brought the orb down with startling force on his shadow. The orb didn't shatter, instead it melted into his shadow.  
Then, Jade heard a clanking sound directly behind her. She ducked as an enormous claw swooped over her head.  
"Razor Kahn!" she cried.  
Kumori cackled with delight. "I now have the second Shadow power. You lose Chans!"  
"Not if I have anything to say about it" muttered Ratso. He swiftly kicked the nearest Razor Kahn's feet out from under him. The beast shrieked as it was impaled upon its own spike.  
"I was the one who wore this mask last!" Ratso called in triunph. "So now your buddies are gonna go boom!"  
Kumori swore again. What rotten luck! It was just like Chan to have the upper hand.  
"This isn't over" Kumori called down. "My quest is only begining, and soon I will have all nine Shadowkahn at my disposal!"  
Then he sank into the shadows and vanished.

KUmori cursed his ill luck. His enemies now knew each Shadowkahn's weakness. He felt so stupid!  
"Idiot!" he berated himself. "You moron! Now you've made an even bigger mess than-"  
His gaze was suddenly caught by a shiny orange cloud of energy.  
"Stop! Take me down to that... thing" he ordered the Shadowkahn. They quickly brought him to the spot.  
Kumori used his powers to peer into the mortal world. He seemed to be inside... a baseball stadium?  
"Interesting" Kumori muttered. "It seems that a very powerfull portal was opened in this spot in the real world, and it can still be opened from the shadow realm."  
He smiled to himself. He knew what the portal was, and it could be a very powerfull asset in the future.  
But at the moment, he had no use for it. He turned and continued on.  
His quest continued...

AN: If anyone can tell me the name of the stadium, and where the portal leads, I'll be impressed that you've studied up on your JackieChanology.  
Kumori gains a new power, and his enemies reveal one of his weaknesses. What will happen next?  
For the record, most chapters will probably not be this long. I just tried to pack a lot of detail into this one.  
Even Fire and Ice have a Dark side. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Jade laid back in her chair at section thirteen. She was very confused about yesterday's events.  
That Kumori fellow was obviously dark to the core, but there was just something about him. Something... attractive?  
No, how would someone with blue skin and red eyes be attractive?  
Then Jade suddenly thought of something. Blue skin? Red eyes? That was exactly what had happened to her when she had taken on the mark of Tarakudo by accident.  
And then, she realized what some of what Kumori had said actually meant.  
_"The queen cannot be restored until I unite the shadow powers."_ That was what Kumori had said.  
It hit her cold and hard. Kumori was gathering the shadow powers in an attempt to turn her back into the Shadowkahn Queen!  
"Okay, calm down Jade" she said to herself. "He could be talking about anyone. Just because you were the one who took the mark, doesn't mean he meant you... does it?"

Kumori sat quietly in his dark corner of the tower. Tsu had tried to talk to him, but Kumori was as unresponsive as ever.  
Unknown to Tsu, however, Kumori was having a very long and intent argument with a Demon.  
*The other seven powers cannot wait! If I am to restore the queen by the lunar eclipse! It's in under a month, and I'll never complete the tasks in time!* Kumori snapped angrily at Tarakudo.  
*I understand your urgency* Tarakudo replied. *But I was very impressed at the way you retrieved the first orb. Morozoni's gift will help you even further in your conquest.*  
*Then allow me to proceed!* Kumori pleaded. *I am prepared! I will retrieve Anani's orb easily!*  
Anani's conscience rose up to speak.  
*Kumori, I know that you are urgent in your need to find my orb- and why you wouldn't would be beyond me. But you must train with the powers you have.*  
"I know exactly how to use the powers I have!" Kumori insisted out loud.  
*Then _show_ me* Anani insisted.  
"Fine" Kumori replied. He opened a small portal under him and dropped down onto the street.  
"Shadowkahn! It is time to show your power!" Kumori commanded. "Rise up from the night and obey your master!"  
Shadowkahn of both Ninja and Razor variation rose from the shadows. Kumori began commanding them with his thoughts.  
The Shadowkahn jumped, dived, spun, and slashed. Razor Kahn sent their blades spinning and reduced several trees to sawdust. Kumori's eyes glazed over, and he began to cackle quietly.  
"Look at them! Such power and elegance! It makes one feel so alive!"  
Anani was not yet impressed. *Use the shadows boy! Show me what you can do with them!*  
Kumori nodded. "Shadowkahn! The time has come to show me your power over Yang! Draw power from the shadows and show me your full potential!"  
A Ninja Kahn obeyed, walking over to the shadow of an erect tree and pulling from it a long black sword.  
The others did the same, summoning items such as Katana, shields, and nunchucks from the shadows. Most of the Razor Kahn simply pulled shadows onto their bladed fingers, causing the razorblades to grow to several times their size.  
"You there!" Kumori said, pointing to the Ninja Kahn with the giant sword. "You will be my lieutenant, and such a post deserves a reward!"  
Kumori then reached into the shadows himself, and pulled out a beautiful Jet-black stallion.  
"Behold, Kumizuru! The Horse who Runs at Midnight! He shall be your steed, and you shall enter battle, giving your enemies a reason to fear you!"  
Kumori smiled. "Now what do you think of my power Anani? Have I proven that I am ready?"  
Anani took a moment to reply.  
*I must admit that I am genuinely impressed. Summoning a living shadow on your own is quite a feat! Kumizuru is a very fitting name for such a beast. If Tarakudo approves, I shall send you on your new quest!*  
Kumori turned his thoughts anxiously to Tarakudo's. The Shadow King behaved similarly to a father. He was kind at times, but he could be strict and cruel at other times.  
*I believe that Anani is right. You are truly worthy to proceed in your rank. But be warned, our nemesis will be close behind you.*  
"I am truly honored that you have chosen-"  
"Taich- er- Kumori? What are you doing out here?" a voice asked from behind him.  
Kumori whirled around. "Tsu! I was just... um... getting some night air."  
"Uh huh, sure, and you have a dozen Shadowkahn summoned because you needed some air? I can tell when you're lying. Tarakudo is sending you out again, isn't he?"  
Kumori looked down at his feet. "Yes, he is."  
Tsu crossed his arms in annoyance. "I thought you were going to be our "secret weapon" and help us in raids; not running around the globe finding magic demon orbs."  
Kumori shrugged. "You know I can't access my full power until I collect all the orbs, so how can I be your "weapon" when I'm not at full strength?"  
Tsu motioned to the Shadowkahn on the horse. "You seem to be pretty powerful right now, so why do you need to keep doing this?"  
"You know the rule of magic" Kumori replied. "There's always more than you believe."  
"Just hurry back Ku" Tsu pleaded "And maybe you wont be doing this every day. I was hoping to go and see a movie on Wednesday."  
Kumori held his blue-skinned hand up in the light. "That wont be too easy, unless there's a way to change my demon appearance."  
"Doesn't that spell that Kai taught you do that?"  
Kumori turned sharply, his eyes flashed an even darker scarlet.  
"Don't... _ever_... say that name around me" Kumori spat venomously.  
"Right, sorry" Tsu replied. "Just go out and do your thing."  
Kumori smiled, then dropped into the shadows. His Shadowkahn followed suit.  
Tsu now stood alone on the street. He kicked a rock down the street, then turned to return to the tower.  
"Oh Taichi, why did it have to be you?" Tsu muttered sadly.

"Stop here for a moment" Kumori ordered. "Before I receive the location, I want to see something."  
The Shadowkahn stopped Kumori before the dark orange portal they had seen when returning from the location of the first orb.  
"Now, what is inside here?" Kumori asked curiously, as he stuck his head into the portal.  
He was greeted with a group of enormous creatures.  
There were nine of them in total, and they all seemed very angry.  
"You should be ashamed of yourself for taking the power for yourself Drago" a large blue demon said angrily. It looked like a combination of a mermaid and a sea serpent. Instead of a long fish tail, it had a long serpentine body.  
"I apologize Bai Tza, but I required the powers for... certain uses." The large green being- apparently known as Drago- replied.  
"You were trying to destroy the entire planet Drago!" A large golden dragon shot back.  
"Father, I've told you before, I was not merely destroying the world! I was creating a new domain for demons!" Drago cried defensively.  
"And yet you did not decide to include Shendu- your own father- in your plans?" Asked Xiao Fung- a large purple froggish looking one.  
"I am capable of doing things on my own, thank you very much!" Drago insisted.  
Shendu roared in annoyance. "You were afraid I would overthrow you! You simply wanted me out of the way! If not for that decrepit old Chi wizard, I would have been left in stone for the rest of existence!"  
"Why are you always trying to tell me what to do? I never got to do anything as a child! It was always: "Shendu just burned that city to the ground! Shendu can use his magical talismans to lift any weight, or run super fast! And they also make him invincible! We should all just worship Shendu, and leave Drago in the dust!" You don't care at all, do you?" Drago was screaming by this point.  
"Insolent boy!" Shendu roared just as loudly. "You should feel lucky that I even made the attempt to spawn you! You act like I am simply another demon, but I am the Demon Emperor!"  
"You are, Shendu?" asked a batlike demon. "I was under the impression that we were all _equal_. And what do you mean by "other demons"? Are we not equal to you in power?"  
Shendu realized that he had made a mistake. "I only meant that I was the boy's emperor, not yours Hsi Wu."  
Hsi Wu was not convinced. "You try to back yourself out of a corner of your own creating, again! I think you forget your place Shendu!"  
"I agree" said a large green demon. "Po Kong says Shendu must pay!"  
The other demons roared in agreement.  
Suddenly, Shendu caught Kumori's eye.  
"Excuse me for a moment siblings" Shendu said. "But, by any chance is that a human?"  
The other demons turned to see Kumori peeking his head out of the portal.  
"It doesn't look too much like a human" Hsi Wu said. "Maybe a minor demon. But whatever it is, it's found a portal to the Demon Realm!"  
Kumori's eyes widened in surprise, and his mouth began moving before he could stop it.  
"_Minor_ demon? I beg your pardon! I am Kumori, prince of the Shadowkahn! I serve Lord Tarakudo, who has granted me part of his great power!"  
"I know of you, Shendu and Drago. Your pointless battle which merely resulted in your destruction! I am ashamed to see the eight- err- nine great demons acting this way!"  
The demons around him were shocked. They had never thought of themselves as "The Nine Great Demons" before.  
"He is right" Bai Tza said finally. We are the greatest, and we should be treated as such! So tell us how you have entered the Demon realm Kumori!"  
Kumori thought quickly. The wrong answer could get him killed.  
"I am placeholder of the earth for my master, and have been granted the ability to travel through the Shadow Realm. I saw this portal floating under its worldly counterpart: a baseball stadium."  
Drago took a sharp breath. "That is where I opened the original portal! He does not lie."  
"Alas great demons, the portal is currently only accessible to those who enter it from the human side. I will be required to find a way to open it to both sides. Then, you will be able to leave freely!"  
The demons gave their agreement, but Shendu was suspicious.  
"How do we _know_ you are the true Prince of the Shadowkahn? Can you prove it?"  
Kumori smiled. "Brothers of Shadow, heed my call!"  
Several dozen Shadowkahn dropped from the floating rocks above to land around the demons.  
"How are you able to summon this breed of Shadowkahn?" Shendu asked suspiciously. "The Oni which summons them was under +my= control. I-"  
There was a loud roar that seemed to emanate from everywhere at once.  
*YOU are Shendu? The one who stole Kato's Oni mask?* Tarakudo roared loudly. *Kumori! Release me, so that I may see this thief face-to-face!*  
Kumori summoned Tarakudo, who appeared with a look of pure hatred on his face.  
"You kept Kato's Oni hidden for all these years? How dare you! I am ashamed to call you a fellow demon!"  
Shendu literally shrunk with fear. Tarakudo's wrath was so much, that he caused all of the other demons to shy away.  
"I will deal with you later" Tarakudo said, his temper calming slightly. "Kumori and I have some business to attend to. But mark my words, I will return in due time. And when I do... you had better hope that you are as great of a demon as you claim."  
With that, Tarakudo vanished, and an invisible force pushed Kumori back through the portal, and out into the Shadow Realm.  
"Well, that was... exhilarating" Kumori said simply.  
*Forget the demons Kumori!* Anani insisted. *I have chosen a location for my Demon Orb to be placed. It is...*

"On top of the Sphinx of Giza" Kumori muttered. "Couldn't this one have been in America too?"  
*Stop complaining!* Anani insisted. *The Sphinx was once my favorite place to visit.*  
"Wait, you mean, Egypt was around before you were trapped in the Oni mask?" Kumori asked quizzically.  
*Of course! Who do you think inspired all the Egyptian myths? Actual Gods? No, the 'gods and godesses' you hear about are all the same. On a larger scale, be it Egypt, Greece, or Japan, mythology is all the same people! Did you know that the "Nemean lion" which Heracles slayed was actually a demon?*  
Kumori was amazed at the fact. Mythology was all the same characters? That's something you didn't learn in the Percy Jackson books.  
Suddenly, a blast of Chi hit the space next to his feet.  
"Tell me, how do you always manage to arrive just in time to try to stop me?" he asked intuitively, turning to see Jackie Chan and company.  
"You're not going to get away with this Kumori!" Jackie called.  
"Yeah, the same way I didn't get away with retrieving the last orb" Kumori replied smugly.  
"Well, this time, we know you weakness!" called Jade. Kumori shifted his eyes slightly to see her holding... a dog?  
"Oh, yes, the dog is the Chinese symbol of longevity. If my homework was correct, this particular dog received the power of the dog talisman, did it not? But why you would need it here is beyond me."  
Jade smiled. "Looks like you're going to get an "incomplete" on your grade Kumori!"  
Kumori smiled. "There's nothing incomplete about my research. But if you got an "F", then maybe I can tutor you."  
Kumori summoned several Shadowkahn to protect him, they leapt quickly from the shadows and surrounded Jackie, Jade, Uncle, and Tohru.  
"Uncle has little pop quiz for Shadow boy!" Uncle cried. He pulled out a small clear wandlike object which contained what appeared to be two tiny threads.  
Uncle began his signature chant, and a point of Chi energy. It hit one of the Shadowkahn, causing it to erupt into smoke.  
Kumori was stunned for a moment, but quickly realized what had happened.  
"So, you took the hairs of the previous mask wearers and used them to create a Chi ray which can defeat my Shadowkahn.  
"No matter. I have the feeling that you don't have any more than two hairs. So, unless one of those two wore two masks, then you wont be able to defeat these next Shadowkahn!"  
"That's where you're wrong Kumori!" Jade declared.  
Kumori flashed a grin. "Feisty as well as beautiful. Two very strong attributes."  
Jade blushed slightly. She was standing in front of a boy who was currently trying to kill them, and he was flirting with her!  
"You're very strange for a demon. I didn't know they were the romantic types." Jade snapped back.  
"Then you don't know very much about demons." Kumori replied. "Did you know that the man who the story Beauty and the Beast is based off of was a man who had been transformed by a demon sorceress? And yet, the young woman from the story was able to touch his heart."  
Jade looked quite stunned at that fact, so much, that she didn't see the fist flying toward her until it was too late.  
With a very comical sounding "Wham" sound, Kumori's fist connected with Jade's face. Caught completely off guard, Jade toppled backwards.  
"Jade!" cried Jackie, but he was forced to fight off a group of Razor Kahn before he could reach her.  
"Well, I'd love to continue the literature discussion, but I have a demon orb to collect." Kumori said. He took a bow, then rose into the air.  
"Tohru! Stop Demon Boy!" Uncle called from the midst of a group of Shadowkahn.  
Tohru launched a blast of Chi at Kumori. Kumori wasn't worried. Regular Chi beams did not affect him.  
Right before it hit him, the smell of onions filled his nose.  
"Oh cr-" Kumori began to say, but was hit with the onion infused Chi beam. Greenish yellow puss began to froth from his eyes, and he screamed in pain.  
"Curses! Of course you know about my weakness to onions! And now I can't see!"  
"All the better" Tohru grunted, before launching himself up to grab Kumori.  
Kumori hissed. "Kumizuru! Protect your creator!"  
Kumizuru, the shadow horse which Kumori had created, raced forward with the Ninja lieutenant on its back.  
"Take me to the top of the Sphinx, and don't let anything stand in your way!" Kumori ordered. The shadow horse leapt into action, its rider grabbed Kumori and the three began to ascend.  
"Stop! You can't take that orb!" Jackie called from below.  
"Watch me!" Kumori shouted back. His eyes had cleared, so he was able to swipe the orb from the top of the Sphinx.  
Kumori cackled as the orb exploded with dark energy. It was absorbed quickly into his body.  
"Now you will be helpless against me!" Kumori cried. He leapt from the horse's back and hit the ground.  
"Demon Boy has advanced strength and endurance!" Uncle called. "He is very difficult to harm!"  
"No kidding" Jade muttered. "We figured that out when he didn't die after he hit the ground from 100 feet up the first three times!"  
Kumori smiled. "I will defeat you here and now."  
"I don't think so!" Jade called as Kumori began drawing Shadowkahn from the shadows. "Scruffy! Get the-"  
A large black form emerged from the gloom. It had a large gelatinous-looking body. It bore long elastic tentacles, which could stretch to great lengths.  
"-Squid Kahn?" Jade finished. "But I thought..."  
Kumori laughed. "Did you really think the Demon Generals would be stupid enough to give me the Shadowkahn in the same order that you met them? You obviously thought Anani's orb was to summon the Bat Kahn. But he is Demon General of..."  
"Squid Kahn!" Uncle finished.  
Kumori chuckled. "I'm terribly sorry Jade, but your little dog isn't going to be much use against these Shadowkahn!"  
A panicked look fell over Jade's face. She scooped up Scruffy, and tried to get back.  
"Seize her!" Kumori cried.  
The Squid Kahn began to waddle their way toward Jade. Two shot forth their tentacles and tried to grab her. One wrapped its tentacles around her arms and waist, the other wrapped them aroung her legs.  
"Jade!" cried Jackie, as he launched himself forward.  
A Ninja Kahn rose up in front of him instantly. He was unable to stop, and slammed into the Shadowkahn's fist at full force.  
"Uhh..." Jackie grunted, before sinking down to fall next to Uncle and Tohru, who had been overcome earlier.  
Kumori grinned. "We have to advance part of our plan. The girl has become too much of a threat to leave this section of the operation until later. So let's depart!"  
Kumori sank down into the shadows, and all the Shadowkahn except the two holding Jade followed. The other two were having a bit of trouble with the struggling girl.  
"Just wait! Jackie is going to come and make all of you pay!" Jade yelled as she struggled.  
"Oh do be quiet girl" came a voice from behind her.  
A shiver went up Jade's spine. "Who... who's there?"  
"I am Anani, Demon general of the Calamar tribe of the Shadowkahn" Anani replied. "I am here to insure that you come along without a struggle."  
Anani wriggled his way around to face Jade. He resembled the Shadowkahn he commanded, except for his face, which was the same as the Oni which her friend Paco had once worn. It was orange, with horrible yellow eyes, horns, and a mane of purple hair.

His body was also a different coloration, orange, like his face. And each hand continued to shift between a tentacle and a three-fingered hand.  
"The Oni Generals will not be contained girl" Anani growled. "Tarakudo's little "prodigy" will complete his quest for the other six orbs, and he will restore us to our former glory.  
"And you... well, you'll find out soon enough."  
Jade struggled against her bonds. "Why are you doing this?"  
Anani bared his fangs in a freakish smile. "I am simply here to insure you are brought to the place of Kumori's choosing without a struggle." He then turned and launched an orb of shadow from his tenticle. It hit the side of a building and exploded, completely wiping out everything it touched.  
"Point taken" Jade said woefully. "But you're forgetting one small detail."  
"And that would be?" Anani asked.  
"As long as I'm stalling you, I'm giving the others time to wake up" Jade replied triunphantly.  
"Then let us end this little bout of stalling and get on our way!" Anani lunged his tentacle forward, causing it to sink into the girl's chest.  
Jade looked down at the tendrill sticking out of her body. Surprisingly, it hadn't killed her, so she assumed that was not the point.  
The tendrill withdrew, leaving a dark spot on Jade's now-exposed chest. The tentacle had shredded through her clothes, but it had not punctured the skin. The blackness began to shrink, growing smaller, and smaller, until it was only a pinprick of blackness.  
"What was that supposed to-" Jade began to say, but suddenly slumped forward. The poor girl had been rendered instantly unconscious.  
"Well, that was fun" Anani commented. "Now let's head to the new Shadow Fortress."  
The Squid Kahn agreed, sinking down into the shadows.

Jackie woke up feeling like he'd been hit in the head by an aluminum bat. He sat up and groaned softly.  
Uncle walked over and gave Jackie his signature two-fingered slap.  
"Wake up sleepy head! Shadow Boy has escaped with Jade! One more thing! Uncle has created spell which will allow us to return to Uncle's shop. One more thing! Tohru has summoned El Toro and Paco to Uncle's shop for help in defeating Squid Shadowkahn. They will be there when portal opens."  
Jackie rubbed his head, trying to take in everything Uncle had just said. "How do we know that Kumori will return to San Francisco?"  
"Uncle has calculated that Demon Boy makes home base somewhere in San Francisco. But Uncle needs more ingredients to conjure locator spell to find Jade!"  
"Alright then" Jackie replied, rubbing his bruised face. "Open the portal."  
"Aiyah! Are you not listening?" Uncle shouted. "Portal is not open yet! We must wait until..."  
Just then, Tohru walked up.  
"The portal spell is ready. We can leave now."  
Uncle and Jackie exchanged a glance.  
"Feh" Uncle said. "Is nothing but coincidence of timing" Uncle said simply.  
Jackie stood up and looked around.  
"Alright" he said. "Let's go."

AN: Jade has been kidnapped! How awfull! How terrifying! How absolutely perfect for plot development!  
A bit late, but my anoymous viewer Final guessed where the quote from chapter 1 was from. Good job!  
What should Kumori do to Jade? Torture her? Traumatize her? Make out with her? The possibilities are endless (Although I'm kinda leaning toward the third one mentioned)!  
I've gotten several people review and say that KumorixJade is their favorite pairing. I think that if they were both on the same team, they would be very cute together!  
Also, good job to DJ Scales for figuring out about the portal's origin. It is in the San Francisco baseball stadium. Home of the Giants. And, yes DJ, this takes place after Season 5.  
Yin, Yang Light, Dark Ice, Flame


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

AN: I've just been spitting out chapters to this story like crazy (relatively speaking) over the past while. I'm hooked on my own story, and I can't wait to see how this looks once I post it.  
To get you up to speed: Kumori obtained the orb of Anani, which lets him control the Squid Kahn. He also kidnapped Jade, and found the remains of the portal which Drago used to summon his demon legion. That will be important later on.  
So sit back and enjoy chapter four!

Sometimes, people have those days when nothing is going right for them. Maybe they lose their wallet, then stub their toe on the wall, and accidentally transfer their life savings to the National Charity (this has happened to someone I know). Those kind of days might be considered "bad days".  
Now, let's say that you have been attacked by a boy who is half demon, and wants to kill you and everyone you know. And let's just assume that the boy also kidnapped you and is holding you hostage.  
That was the kind of day Jade Chan was having.  
Jade came to in a strange stone room with a Shadowkahn standing guard. She was shackled to two wooden columns at her arms and legs, and was unable to move from her position in the room's center.  
"Where am I?" Jade asked worriedly.  
"You are in the prison cell of our lord Kumori's new headquarters" The Shadowkahn replied.  
Jade looked over at the shadow ninja in surprise. "I didn't know your kind could talk!"  
"Ordinarily, yes, we are mute" the Shadowkahn replied. "But I have been chosen as my master's general. As such, I have been endowed with certain abilities by Master Kumori. One among them is the power of speech."  
Jade turned away from the Shadowkahn.  
"So, why does Kumori want me here?" she asked.  
"My master was quite vague on the subject. But, you are apparently to have an important role in his plan. That, and the fact that he seems to have a mutual attraction to you."  
Jade recoiled in surprise. "Kumori has a crush on me? Eew! Why would I ever like a demon?"  
"Well, technically, Kumori is still human, but he has taken on the appearance and abilities of a shadow demon" the Shadowkahn replied.  
"Then why did the onion Chi beam work on him? doesn't it only work on pure demons? And, speaking of which, why is your type of Shadowkahn the only type that doesn't have a weakness to onions?" Jade questioned.  
The Shadowkahn frowned. "This is why we Shadowkahn do not talk, it is too noisy! But to answer your question, Kumori is so deeply intertwined with Shadow magic, the onion became a weakness to him. After all, it is completely fused to his Chi.  
"To the second question, I have no answer that I can think of."  
Jade thought for a moment. "Is there ant way to remove the shadow magic from his Chi?"  
Before the Shadowkahn could answer, Kumori walked in.  
"Minha, what is this? I give you a voice, and you use it to spout our secrets to the enemy? I am ashamed!"  
The Shadowkahn, Minha hung his head. "I apologize master Kumori sir."  
Kumori glared at Minha for another moment before his gaze softened. "I apologize as well. I should not be so harsh to my lieutenant.  
*Of course you should be!* Anani spoke in Kumori's mind.  
"I do not think so Anani" Kumori said, apparently to nobody. "In some cases, compassion can be a powerful tool. Speaking of which..." Kumori turned toward Jade. "I would like a moment alone with our prisoner, Minha."  
"Of course master" Minha said respectfully. He then melted into the shadows and vanished.  
Kumori walked up to where Jade was chained to the pillars.  
"You look even better in those clothes when you are awake" Kumori said simply.  
Jade realized for the first time that she was wearing a different outfit. It was a dress sporting a mystical dark purple color. It hung down past her feet, and went down in a sharp "V" in the front. The back of the dress was open a bit further down her back than she would have liked, nearly at her waist, but it wasn't terribly annoying. She noticed that she was wearing nothing underneath. Someone had simply stripped her down and put the outfit on.  
"Who?" Jade asked waveringly.  
"Oh, I put it on you. I hope that wasn't wrong or anything. I would have let you do it, but it's hard to dress yourself while unconscious." Kumori replied slyly.  
"You perverted little..." Jade began, but was strangely unable to finish her sentence.  
"Ah ah ah! We don't use that type of language in my castle." Kumori said, wagging his finger. "Although, I must say that you have matured much since arriving here. In both body and mind."  
Jade blushed slightly when she realized what he meant by 'body'. But then what he had said clicked.  
"Wait... you knew me when I first came to America?" she asked in a confused manner.  
"Ah, yes. I was what you might call an "illegal immigrant". I left Japan at a very young age, and came to America only a few years before you did.  
"You wouldn't remember me, but I went to your school. I heard about everything you told the kids, but, unlike Drew and his little gang, I knew what you said was true."  
Kumori turned to her. "But I'm afraid that our time to chat has expired. My master insists I get some information from you. I apologize, but he has instructed me to do it in the most +persuasive= way possible.  
Kumori began advancing toward her. He stopped a mere foot or so from her face.  
Jade closed her eyes, expecting a beating.  
She did not expect for Kumori to lean in and clamp his lips over hers.  
Jade's eyes widened in shock, as Kumori brought her into a deep and passionate kiss. Her mind began shutting down as she gave herself over to the feeling.  
Kumori broke the kiss after almost a minute. Jade pulled back, gasping for breath.  
"Wow" she said quietly. "You're really forward about relationships that don't exist yet."  
Kumori smiled, seeing that the drugs he'd given her kept her from a stronger reaction. "There's plenty more where that came from."  
He walked around behind Jade and began tracing his finger along her virtually bare back. Jade shuddered with pleasure, and Kumori took this as permission to plant a kiss on her spine.  
Jade suddenly came to her senses.  
"Get away from me!" she cried, and tried to smack Kumori away, which was quite difficult, seeing as how she was chained to the two pillars on either side of her.  
Kumori grinned. "I see that your rational side is still putting up a fight. Let's see what can be done about that."  
Kumori leaned down and blew a gust of cold air onto her bare back. Jade squeaked in surprise, and Kumori, deciding he had found a "weak spot", continued to send the icy air against her virtually unprotected back.  
Jade's shrieks faded away to moans of pleasure. Kumori was glad he had thought to spike her drink with Menasine to help him with persuasion.  
(AN: Menasine is a name I came up with myself, since I couldn't remember the names of any of those drugs that make you slightly dopey)  
Kumori stood and walked around to her front again. He pulled Jade into another deep kiss, and she actually returned it this time.  
Kumori pulled away and Jade moaned with disappointment, but Kumori had realized that if he continued from here, he would be unable to stop.  
He decided to end it with one final kiss. He pushed his tongue past her lips and began exploring her mouth.  
After breaking the kiss again, he began to ask her for information. The helpless, lustful, and- unbeknownst to her- heavily drugged girl happily began telling him facts. He discovered the identities of everyone who had worn the Oni masks most recently, and several other facts that he had not known previously.  
At the end, he simply stood there gazing at her. He had been doing this purely to glean information from her.  
So why did he still feel the urge to kiss her, even though he had everything he needed.  
Sighing, he summoned a Shadowkahn holding a small canister. He turned, and sprayed the contents of the bottle in Jade's face. The poor girl's head fell forward as she was knocked unconscious.  
Kumori left the room, hoping that the combination of knockout gas and Menasine would cause her to forget this night. But he would remember it.  
As he walked to his chambers, he realized that it just might be possible that some of her affection might not have been purely a result of his methods. Maybe, under the scorn and hatred she held, she actually liked him back.

Jade's dream was not a pleasant one.  
She dreamed that Kumori was laughing at her.  
"Silly girl!" he cackled. "Did you really think that I had actual affection toward you? It was all an act! I'm using you simply as a tool, and you'll never be loved!"  
Then, Kumori's face began to bubble and shift. He transformed into Shendu, the great firebreathing dragon.  
"I will use you, and then dispose of you once and for all!" Shendu cried. The last thing Jade saw was a burst of flame. Then she woke.  
It was dark, and she could see nothing. But she had a huge headache, and she felt as if the world was shifting under her.  
She swore slightly. Kumori had obviously drugged her. She didn't remember much of what had happened, but she knew she had given important information away.  
"Jackie" she said to the darkness. "Where are you?"

Jackie was currently trying desperately to keep up with El Toro as he raced through the streets.  
"Hurry amigo!" El Toro called over his shoulder. "We must get ingredients to your uncle's shop quickly!"  
Jackie was panting heavily as he tried to keep up. Uncle had decided that if Jackie was going to be retrieving ingredients for the locator spell, he might as well restock Uncle's entire supply.  
They made it to Uncle's shop ten minutes later. Jackie felt as if he had run a marathon.  
"Jackie!" Uncle called from the back room. "Uncle has discovered alternative to wasting ingredients for locator spell!"  
Jackie groaned. He had done all that work for nothing.  
He raced into the room to find Uncle and Tohru.  
"Demon Boy will obviously attempt to retrieve more Demon orbs" Uncle told Jackie. "If we can get to location, we can force him to turn over Jade!"  
Jackie frowned. "But Uncle, wouldn't that risk letting Kumori posses another Demon power?"  
"Is risk that must be taken" Uncle decided.  
El Toro strode forward. "So how am I involved with this?"  
Uncle turned to him. "Directly, you are not. The one who is involved is Paco, since he wore Oni with new Shadowkahn most recently."  
El Toro nodded. "So we simply wait for the demons to send this Kumori boy out again?"  
"Yes" Jackie replied. "And then, Paco will be able to... wait a minute" Jackie looked around quizzically. "Where +is= Paco?"

Paco was currently in line to see Super Moose Three: revenge of Doctor Venison. Having no idea that the one who had kidnapped Jade was also doing so.  
"Are you sure it's safe to have her with us during the movie?" Tsu asked.  
"As long as my disguising spells work, nobody will recognize her. And I can stop her from interacting with anyone she knows."  
Kumori was disguised as a pale boy with freckles and a crop of red hair. Jade had blond hair and lightly tanned skin. Tsu was imply dressed like himself.  
Tsu shook his head slightly. "Fine. What's going to happen after all? The worst that could happen is that Chan fellow showing up, right?"  
Kumori put his finger to his lips. "Cool it will ya? Someone here might know Chan and hear us talking about him."  
It was just then that Paco heard the two boys talking.  
"You know Jackie Chan?" Paco asked as he turned around.  
"Umm... yeah, I do" Kumori replied shakily. "I used to go to school with his niece." Well, that part wasn't technically a lie.  
"Oh! you know Jade?" Paco asked, pronouncing her name with a "y" sound instead of a "j" sound. "Did you know that she has gone missing?"  
Kumori was surprised. How did this kid know about the kidnapping? Then it hit him.  
"Your name wouldn't happen to be Paco, would it?" Kumori asked innocently.  
"Yes, it is! But, how did you know?" Paco asked quizzically.  
"Jade used to tell us all about you and El Toro Fuerte" Kumori replied. "I am Samuel, and these are my siblings: Benny and Shandra."  
"Benny" raised his hand in greeting, while "Shandra" stared at Paco.  
In he mind, she was wishing with all her might that she was able to give Paco a sign, or something he would recognize. But she had no control as her lips parted against her will, and the words "Pleased to meet you Paco" came out of her mouth.  
Paco thought her voice sounded familiar, but Kumori had altered her voice patterns just enough that she didn't sound like Jade.  
"Let us go and watch the movie then" Paco said cheerily.  
Suddenly, the conscience of the Demon General Palazini rose up.  
*It is time for you to quest for the third orb* Palazini said.  
*Not now Palazini* Kumori replied as he took his seat. *I promised Tsu that I would do this for him. I'm not going back on my word.*  
Palazini grew angry. *Just because you're Tarakudo's little +prodigy=, that doesn't make you the decision maker of when I release my power to you. You go after the orb now, or never.*  
Kumori was torn. He didn't want to hurt Tsu's feelings, but this was bigger than either of them.  
*Give me five minutes Palazini-San. I need to make some {preparations}.*  
Palazini grumbled as he sank back down into his own conscience.  
Ten minutes into the movie, Kumori leaned over and acted like Jade was speaking to him. He manipulated her form so that she leaned over and whispered to him.  
"Tsu" he whispered. "Jade needs to take a short bathroom break. We'll be right back."  
"You're not going to follow her {into} the bathroom, are you?" Tsu asked worriedly.  
"If I can still control her without visual contact" Kumori replied. "If I can't, then I don't think I have a choice."  
Tsu's eyes scrunched up in worry. "That's a joke right? You wouldn't actually follow her into the bathroom, would you? Or actually go {into} the stall with her right?"  
Kumori flashed one of his "There's no straight answer to that" grins, before leading Jade out into the aisle.  
They reached the outer area, and he released Jade from the invisible ropelike strands which he had been using to control her movements.  
"Let me guess" Jade began. "Another Demon orb has been launched, and you just lied to your friend so that you had an excuse for leaving. Now you're going to drag me along to wherever the next orb has been placed, and I don't have a choice about it."  
"You're very intuitive" Kumori commented. "But, yes, that's what I did. And don't think that you can get away while we're there."  
"Why not?" Jade challenged.  
Kumori brought out a glass sphere from his pocket. It bore a long needle on the end.  
"This is why" Kumori replied, before jabbing the needle into Jade's neck.  
"Jade felt an odd sensation in her stomach, as if her insides were turning into smoke. Suddenly, she was floating above the floor in a vaporous state. She tried to scream, but her voice was lost in the vortex. Her essence was absorbed into the ball, and she was soon glaring out from inside the orb, nothing but a swirling torrent of air.  
"Temporary, I assure you" Kumori told her. "The glass cannot be shattered, the flow can only be reversed through use of the key, which I have stowed away in the shadow realm."  
Jade's amber eyes glared out at him from her confinements, but he ignored her.  
*Where have you placed the orb?* he asked Palazini.  
*The deepest point of the Grand Canyon.* Palazini replied.  
"Then it looks like I'm going to Arizona" Kumori smiled to himself, before melting into the shadows.  
Had he hesitated a moment longer, he would have been seen by Jackie, who was rounding the corner at that very moment.  
Jackie made his way into the theater, explained his situation to the assistant, and retrieved Paco from the theater.  
"But, Super Moose was about to shut down the Procrastonite beam!" Paco complained.  
"And Kumori will gain another demon power if we do not make our way to Arizona right now" Jackie replied. "Super Moose can wait."

Jade floated in the void, a mere spiral of wind.  
"Why are all the best guys always evil?" she asked herself.  
She was extremely worried about what had happened last night. She only remembered up until her conversation with Minha had ended. What had Kumori done to her? Had he forced her to tell secrets to him? Was that why he was taking her along?  
Jade was very confused about all of this. For all she knew, Kumori could have raped her in her sedated state, but she very much doubted that.  
She looked down at her hand- or, where her hand usually was- and saw that it was merely a swirling pattern of wind.  
"Could this get any worse?" Jade asked out loud.  
And of course, just like all the other stories, the second she said that, it got worse.

(AN: I promised I would try to keep these short-ish, so don't come screaming in my face for cutting it off here.  
I changed it from the original version, if you want the original, I might repost it again some time.

Even Fire and Ice have a Dark side.  
(I switched back to this ending) 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

AN: If you didn't get the memo, I toned down chapter 4, even though it made Jade's resistance against what Kumori did, appear much weaker. One of my reviewers said that it was drawing the line a little too close for comfort, so I edited it.

Where we left off: Kumori has just forced Jade into telling him the identities of the previous wearers of the Oni masks. He is currently on his way to the Grand Canyon to collect the demon orb of Palazini.  
Meanwhile, Paco comes very close to uncovering Kumori's secret, accidentally, and Jackie and company are planning to follow Kumori to his destination.  
Meanwhile, the Demon Sorcerers are growing restless in their confinement, which is where we start today.

"He lied to us" Drago said angrily. "Did you actually think he would help us? That little..." Drago began muttering several things which his mother wouldn't be proud of (assuming Drago has a mother... or maybe demons reproduce asexually. We'll probably never know).  
Shendu was pacing back and forth on his small plane of rock.  
"I believe the boy will hold to his word. Tarakudo certainly seemed keen to visit this place again, and if he doesn't follow through with the deal, we could just hold the boy for ransom."  
"It still raises the question of whether Kumori will follow through on our little agreement" Bai Tza commented. "I believe he was honest. We will see him again, and we will be able to use our powers to bring the world to its knees once more!"  
"Speaking of demon powers" Hsi Wu began, turning to Drago. "I think our little sorcerer-in-training owes us something."  
Drago took an involuntary step back. "Hold on uncle! I collected the demon Chi fair and square!"  
"And it was stolen from each of us, very unfairly, and un- um... squarely!" Xiao Fung commented. "I say the Chi must be returned to us!"  
Drago growled, but suddenly smiled.  
"Well then" Drago began devilishly. "Let's see what grandpa has to say about it."  
The demons' faces went blank in confusion, then they all turned and gasped.  
"Yinya" Shendu said in disbelief. "Our father has returned."  
Yinya was a hulking black form, with a humanoid appearance. He looked almost exactly like a human, except for a few differences.  
Twin black horns rose from the top of his head. He had long claws in place of fingers, and he had two claw-like toes on each foot, curving together. His eyes were horrifying; a deep and horrible red.  
His face was expressionless, for he had no mouth, or any other defining facial characteristics.  
Finally, there were two giant batlike wings growing out of his back.  
"It is impossible" Shendu muttered. "He went traveling into unknown sections of the void centuries ago!"  
"And yet, here I am, and I'm perfectly able to here you Shendu" came a booming voice from above. The voice sounded as if it belonged to the devil himself; loud and able to chill one's blood. But, at the same time, it sounded strangely enticing, as if it belonged to a trusted friend, one which you would do anything for.  
Yinya had a long history as, well, a devil. He was able to change his form and convince anyone of anything. It was even said that he was originally a serpent, who had been cursed long ago for tempting the first woman on earth. He had been cast down and considered a despicable creature. He had since learned the art of shape-shifting, and had taken to the job of leading unfortunate souls to their doom. It was also said that he was the father of all things evil, which certainly could be true, given the fact that he was the father of at least the demon sorcerers.  
"Umm... hello father" Shendu said shakily. "You look well. Have you been working out?"  
Yinya's answer was to launch a flaming ball of Shadowfyre at his son. Shendu would have been vaporized on the spot, if not for the powers of immortality and healing he possessed.  
"I see that you have at least managed to keep ahold of your birthday present" Yinya rumbled. "It's a shame that I only was able to make one set. But that was then, and I have returned because I am very interested to know about what has happened in the world.  
"But when I heard your talk of freedom, I simply had to attend your little get-together."  
Yinya looked over his children before his eyes came to a stop on Drago.  
"Drago! My favorite grandson!" Yinya bellowed.  
"Your +only= grandson" Drago muttered.  
"What was that boy?" Yinya asked.  
"I was simply saying how joyful it is to see you once more" Drago replied. "It feels like it was only yesterday that you told my father to imprizon- er- preserve me inside that temporal rift so that I may return at a time when I was needed.  
"But that, of course, was only three years ago for me, while it was over three thousand for you."  
Yinya was impressed. "You have quite the little charmer Shendu, I can tell that my decision to keep Drago's power a secret was well thought."  
"I still say he would have done better if we had trained him the full time" Shendu replied. "He amassed the power of the Demon Chi left in the real world, then he tried to use it for himself!"  
"Aren't we all like that at heart?" Yinya asked. "Selfish and cruel? And a lust for power as well. It's only natural my boy! We are demons after all."  
Shendu looked downward. "I see, father. But tell me, why have you returned?"  
A smile crept over Yinya's face. He held out his hand and created a small black ball of energy.  
"I have been exploring the Demon Netherworld. I have made maps and kept journals of my discoveries. I now know that there is so much more to this realm than we thought."  
The flaming sphere began to expand into a giant map, which then changed to several different colors in different areas.  
"I have divided the areas I discovered, into sections, naming each one after one of my favorite children. We are here in the Shendu quadrant, which I consider to be the first area."  
Shendu gave a smug smile at that.  
"Next, we have the Bai Tza quadrant" Yinya said, gesturing to an area on the map which was colored a light blue.  
"We then have Xiao Fung's area, Po Kong's area, all the way down to Hsi Wu's area." Yinya gestured to a dark grey area furthest from where they were.  
"The netherworld is endless, but I have mapped out what I can. And I have decided that this is enough" Yinya continued.  
"However, I discovered this one last section which I had overlooked previously. I call it the Drago Quadrant, and it has a very interesting function to it."  
The demons leaned closer as they listened.  
"The Drago Quadrant allows any who enter limited communication, and even interaction with the human world. In essence, it provides an ability not unlike the sheep talisman which Shendu possesses."  
"So what is the point of what you are telling us?" Shendu asked.  
Yinya looked slightly annoyed, but continued.  
"I say we should go to the Drago Quadrant. Together. Then we will have the ability to connect with the mortal world."  
"We could learn weather or not Kumori really plans to help us!" Hsi Wu said excitedly.  
"I also have something for Drago, which he will receive when we arrive" Yinya said dramatically.  
"What is it?" Drago asked.  
"I thought that you should receive a gift like the one I gave to your father" Yinya replied. "In essence: your own set of talismans."  
Drago's eyes lit up. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

AN: I don't know why, but this part feels kinda rushed. Sorry about that.

Kumori stared down at the enormous chasm before him.  
"I've always wanted to come to the Grand Canyon, but we never had the time or expenses. Most of the money we stole went toward food and clothes." he said to Palazini. "But now, I'm here for a purpose, not for fun. Well, let's get this over with."  
He leapt over the edge like a sky-diver. A nearby woman screamed in horror when she saw this, but began screaming at an even higher pitch when she saw him stop half-way down.  
"Tourists" Kumori muttered, as he continued to drop into the void.  
Ten seconds later, he hit the ground and came to a stop.  
"Alright, where's the orb?" he asked Palazini.  
*If I told you, it wouldn't be a very difficult quest, now would it?* Palazini mocked.  
Kumori growled in frustration. The canyon was miles long, and he would probably spend hours in here before finding it.  
Luckily, Kumori was still able to use his own magic. He sat down and began chanting.  
*What are you doing? You are supposed to be looking for the orb!* Palazini reminded him.  
*I'm doing more searching than it appears* Kumori told him, before pulling out a lock of hair from his pocket.  
*This hair sample will allow me to create a locator spell to find the orb's Chi trail* Kumori said smugly.  
*How did you obtain that?* Palazini asked. *The last one to wear my mask was...*  
*Shh... no spoilers* Kumori reprimanded him.  
The lock of hair began to glow and wiggle.  
"The orb is near" Kumori muttered. "But... why is the locator pointing to a blank wall?"  
It was just then that he was tackled by a large Mexican wrestler.  
Kumori shrieked in pain as El Toro Fuerte knocked him to the ground. The masked man stood up and loomed over him.  
"You will return Jackie's niece at once!" El Toro said sternly.  
"I will do no such thing!" Kumori declared. "You cannot hope to defeat Kumori Mikoto! I am the Shadow Prince! I can destroy you in-"  
The rest of Kumori's sentence was cut off by a Chi beam straight to the face. A demonic scream (Well, what other type of scream would he give?) ripped through the air. Kumori sank to the ground as yellow pus filled his eyes.  
"Onions are at least good for one thing!" Uncle declared. "But I still prefer garlic for my spells."  
Kumori smiled as he wiped the sticky gunk away. "You like defeating enemies with garlic? Then let me give you the pleasure!"  
Kumori raised his hand and began chanting. He reached his hand toward a nearby shadow and grasped it. The black object separated from the wall and took on a dark shape.  
"I call them Dark Hunters. He searches out his prey and doesn't stop until he's destroyed it. I've been practicing sending them after enemies of mine, and you don't have a chance."  
The Dark Hunter resembled a vampire. It was humanoid with short winglike webbing attatched to its arms. It was bald with pointed ears sticking out from the sides of its head. The eyes were, like most monster eyes, an evil glowing red, and its mouth was full of long glistening fangs.  
Kumori pointed toward Jackie.  
"Destroy him and anyone who assists him!"  
The Hunter sprang toward Jackie, who immediately dodged out of the way. The behemoth shrieked in rage as it leapt again, but was quickly swatted away by Tohru.  
"You can't run forever Chan!" Kumori called. "But, in the meantime, I'm going to find my prize. Shadowkahn!"  
Several Squid Kahn immediately sprang up around him.  
"Open the rock" Kumori commanded. The Shadowkahn obeyed and lurched forward. Their tentacles quickly sprang forward as they pulled at the rock face. Within moments, the wall gave way.  
"There it is" Kumori said in awe. "And there's no way that you can stop these Shadowkahn!"  
Grabbing the orb, Kumori crushed it in his hand and the power was absorbed. This time, Kumori's appearance was altered once again. He grew several inches and his hands expanded to the point that they were practically just claws, jutting out and giving him a striking resemblance to a Razor Kahn. His hair changed to long black quils running down the back of his head.  
His skin went from a light cyan to a much deeper sapphire blue color. The final transformation was a pair of batlike wings which burst out behind him.  
"Dang, it's gonna be a lot harder to disguise myself with these boat sails" Kumori groaned. "Ah well. Let's just get on with it."  
Kumori now produced the long silver hair which he had used to locate the orb.  
"Curious that this is one of two hairs which I could have used to find the orb, and both just happened to be on one person. It strikes me as funny that your neice happened to have a hair belonging to a mister Eustace Valmont on her jacket. Ah, I guess that's just how fate works isn't it?"  
"Wait a minute" Tohru said. "Valmont's first name is Eustace?"  
"That is not important now!" Uncle cried. "Kumori is going to summon the Shadowkahn!"  
Kumori smiled. "Well, now that you mention it, maybe I wont summon them yet. I'll leave you in suspense until-" he was abruptly cut off by another Chi beam to the face.  
"Urgh. Never mind, I'm going to summon them right now!" Kumori raised his hand slowly.  
Up from the ground sprang the Shadowkahn. These ones were large and bulky, with one regular hand and one large claw.  
"Crab Kahn" Jackie gasped. "We don't have anyone who can stop those!"  
"Yes, but the shadow boy has one of Valmont's hairs" Uncle gasped. "If we can obtain it, then I can use it to defeat them!"  
"You wont be defeating anyone old man!" Kumori snarled. With a wave of his hand the Shadow Hunter sprang up once more.  
"Sadly, unlike Shadowkahn, I can only summon one hunter at a time. But they are nearly invincible, so it doesn't matter!" With a flick of his wrist, Kumori sent the Hunter forward. The creature sprang at Uncle in fury.  
"Hold on sensei!" Tohru cried. He attempted to jump over and protect Uncle, but a Crab Kahn caught him by the wrist.  
"You think stupid vampire hunter can scare Uncle?" Uncle cried. Lifting his blowfish, he launched one of his regular Chi beams. The blast hit the vampire hunter and sent it sprawling.  
"Onion has nothing on garlic when dealing with vampires" Uncle gloated. "Shadow boy is Japanese, but he tries to use Chinese magic? Shadow boy is not very bright!"  
KUmori growled in anger. "Well then. If it is Japanese you desire, Japanese is what it will be!"  
The vampire hunter instantly dissolved and began to reform. It grew shorter and bulkier as its bones changed and clashed.  
"Behold, the Kappa. A Japanese water demon distantly related to modern monkeys" Kumori announced. "You requested Japanese and I delivered. But you really should make up your mind. You asked for the vampire, then threw it back. Shame shame."  
The Shadow Hunter Kappa resembled a large monkey in complexion. Instead of a monkey tail, however, it had a long serpantine tail ending in a fin. Its hands and feet were webbed, and its body was covered in small scales. Its eyes remained the same piercing red and its body was still a deep onyx color, but it seemed quite different from the vampire.  
"Satisfied?" Kumori asked. "Hunter, destroy them!"  
The Kappa sprang forward with a primal howl. Its claws swiped toward Jackie, who was forced to dodge out of the way. With the Kappa's attack combined with the attacks of the Crab Kahn, he was barely able to hold them off.  
"We're not going to be able to hold them back for long!" Jackie called. "Tohru, we need to fall back!"  
"That might not be necissary Chan" came a voice from behind him.  
Jackie turned to see the last person he would have expected.  
"Valmont?" Jackie asked in confusion. "How did you get here?"  
Valmont grinned. "I took up a job as a tour guide to the Grand Canyon about a month ago. I thought it was very suspicious to see a boy jump into the canyon, followed moments later by your little group, so I followed you."  
Kumori turned to look at Valmont in shock.  
"No! That's not possible! The odds of you being here are practically zero!"  
Valmont smiled. "I get the feeling that something big is going on here, and I want to be a part of it!"  
Spinning around, Valmont landed a kick on the Crab Kahn holding Jackie. There was an explosion of blue smoke as the Crab Kahn split in half. Part of it dissolved, leaving only its smaller arm, one leg, and half of its torso. The giant claw, head, and other leg were no more.  
Kumori smiled. "That's right! You only controlled part of each Shadowkahn's body. The other half was controlled by my little friend."  
"Speaking of which, where have you hidden Jade?" Tohru asked.  
"Oh, believe me, she's much closer than it appears" Kumori replied with a smirk.  
"What is that supposed to mean?" Tohru asked. His question was cut off by the mostly-destroyed Crab Kahn who slammed its remaining hand into the back of his head.  
"You there!" Kumori called. "Return to the Shadow Realm! You are no use with only half of your body!"  
The Crab Kahn obeyed, sinking into the ground.  
"No way!" Tohru cried. He grabbed the Crab Kahn's arm as it sank.  
"Tohru! Don't grab on to it!" Uncle warned.  
It was too late. As the Shadowkahn sank, Tohru was pulled into the shadows as well.  
"Blast" Kumori cursed. "Now I'll have to retrieve your sumo friend before he finds-" he cut himself off.  
"Finds what?" Jackie asked.  
"None of your concern" Kumori snapped. "I am allowed to have secrets that don't involve my enemies."  
With that, Kumori began to sink into the shadows.  
"Shadowkahn, Hunter. While I'm gone, destroy the remaining fools."  
The remaining Crab Kahn and the Hunter immediately surrounded the heroes as Kumori vanished.  
"Valmont, you're the only one who can destroy- er- incapacitate those Shadowkahn!" Jackie called.  
"It would be my pleasure" Valmont replied. With a snapping kick, he knocked the head off of one Crab Kahn. The clawed half of its body immediately dissolved into blue smoke.  
"Jackie!" Uncle called. "Uncle's spell will take us out of the canyon!"  
"Thank goodness!" Jackie called. "Everyone head toward Uncle!"  
Valmont and El Toro obeyed, moving toward Uncle. Uncle cast his spell and a portal of energy opened up underneath the four. In seconds, they had all vanished.  
The Shadowkahn stood there in confusion for a moment, until the Hunter got their attention.  
"We must return to the Shadow Realm and assist the "master" in his task" the Kappa called. The Crablike warriors quickly followed suit as the beast began melting downward. As it dropped, one who knew of such things would have sworn that the Kappa now bore the face of the Water Demon Bai Tza.

"Now, Mr. Tohru. You're going to calmly come with me back to the Grand Canyon" Kumori said in a very hostile voice. "I'll be sure to put you far away from the fighting. Four hundred feet above it to be exact."  
"First, you will tell me what you have done to Jade" Tohru replied. The name seemed to echo through the intire realm. Jade. Jade. Jade.  
Kumori hissed in annoyance. "You fool! Names have great power here. I must return you to the Realm of Light before-"  
Before he could even finish his sentance, Kumori saw the golden hemisphere-shaped object hurtling toward Tohru.  
"Curses! He was able to summon the Key Piece!"

AN: for those who don't remember, the Key Piece is the object that unlocks the sphere in which Kumori placed Jade.

Just then, the Shadow Hunter appeared beside Kumori.  
"Ah, Hunter. I need you to retrieve that Key Piece before that great lug Tohru does!"  
The Kappa turned to him. "As soon as I confirm that you plan to keep your word Kumori."  
Kumori stared in horror into the eyes of the Water Demon Bai Tza.  
"M-master Bai Tza! I assure you that I am doing everything in my power to reverse the polarity of the portal. But, If you'll excuse me for a moment. It is vital that that key does not fall into the hands-"  
As he said this, he turned and hissed again. Tohru had managed to grab on to the Key Piece.  
Tohru turned to the Crab Kahn who he had followed into the Shadow Realm.  
"Excuse me mister Shadowkahn. It would seem that your master does not appreciate my presence here. Would you be so kind as to return me to the regular world? Maybe you could place me wherever my companions are, which I'm sure your master would desire that you do."  
The Shadowkahn seemed to understand that logic and grabbed ahold of Tohru's wrist. The two were immediately pulled back into the regular world.  
Kumori screamed in anger. "Idiots! Why am I surrounded by bungling fools? Without that key, I cannot release my prisoner!" He turned to Bai Tza once more.  
"I understand your urgency in this matter. I know that human who escaped. We have met before. But, now is not the time for such things. The other sorcerers have also taken on hosts. We are gathering together to meet with you and talk. I believe that you will most enjoy speaking to the one we brought with us."  
Kumori frowned. Without the key, he could not release Jade from the sphere. She would eventually starve to death.  
"If you will assist me in retrieving that key after our rendevouz is complete, I will go with you" Kumori decided.  
"Excelent" Bai Tza purred. "Let's go."

AN: Oh dear, things are not turning out too well for the J Team at the moment are they? Kumori has already retrieved four of the nine orbs. Any ideas for what the next Kahn should be?  
Yes, the Demon Sorcerers have become official major characters! And they brought in the heavy artillery this time. Let me just say that Yinya is not based off of a character from another book or movie or anything. He is purely my creation, and is my personal nightmare. Literally. Every time I have a real bed-wetter (that's just an expression folks) he's always part of it. Heck, last night I had a dream that my good friend was a giant puppet, and he was the puppet master, and he was making her take a knife and... never mind.  
Let me just assure you that Jade will not starve to death. Might get dehydrated and die that way, but she wont starve.  
Even Fire and Ice have a Dark side... 


	6. Chapter 6

First of all, I apologize one thousand and fifty-seven times for the delay. I'm the type of person who makes tons of plans for things, starts 2-5 projects at once, then loses track of older ones. As a result, I lost track of this one. It might not seem like it just by looking at my page, but I have tons of projects going on almost simultaneously. As a result, my stories will not be updated as often.  
But, here it is. The story you have waited for. Enjoy.

As the shadows parted, Kumori found that they were in a cave. There was no discernable entrance, so he had no idea how anyone could have entered it from outside.  
Yet, before him stood nine figures, discluding Bai Tza. Kumori deduced that these must be the forms the Demon Sorcerers had possessed. He didn't know how they had done it, but, as he took in the details, it was obvious.  
One figure was a large, overweight woman who was currently stuffing her face with rice. This was obviously Po Kong.  
Another figure was a short man with wispy hair which seemed as though it was being ruffled by the wind. This must have been Hsi Wu.  
Peering at the group, Kumori realized he could guess who each and every person was. Shendu was an African-American man with a black suit and tinted sun glasses. Drago was an impulsive-looking teenager with wild green hair-obviously dyed.  
But, there was one person in the room which Kumori could not identify. This was a bald-headed monk with scarlet robes. From a distance, he seemed harmless enough, but his eyes betrayed an anger, a fierceness which Kumori had never seen. He thought for a moment that he must surely be staring into the eyes of the devil.  
"You must be Kumori" the man observed. His voice was confusing. It was sweet and enticing, like the music of a flute, but it was also fierce and angry, like a thunderstorm. "I have been told much about you."  
Kumori stared at the man. Try as he might, he was baffled by who could be speaking to him. He had a demon voice, which was apparent from the way it reverberated off the walls. So, who could he be?  
"I see the confusion in your face, and so, I will explain myself to you" the man informed him. "I am Yinya, lord of all demons, master of the night, and knower of all evil in the world. You are Kumori Mikoto, also called Taichi. You lived in Japan until you ran away to America. You learned the powers of magic and took upon yourself the powers of the Shadowkahn. You are a thief, a liar, a scoundrel, a manipulator, and emotionally imbalanced.  
"However, as you are our only hope to escape the infernal pit we have been flung into, I am willing to work with this. You claim that you have a way to reverse the polarity of the portal which you use to enter our dimension?"  
"I do" Kumori replied.  
"Then you lie" Yinya said smugly. "Admit it, Kumori. You have no idea how to free my children, and you are simply stalling for time as you frantically attempt to do the impossible."  
Kumori's eyes widened. Yinya had stated so plainly what Kumori already knew.  
"There is a way" he said quietly.  
Yinya's eyebrow raised. "You claim that you know a reversal?"  
"No" Kumori replied. "It is not a reversal, but it is a way out."  
"Then tell us" Shendu snapped.  
"On the night of the coming lunar eclipse, three weeks from now, the combined power of all nine varieties of Shadowkahn will be more than enough to, say, create a bridge through a portal which anyone can cross.  
"However, the eclipse lasts only twelve minutes, but, in those twelve minutes, the Shadowkahn will be at their most powerful. "You would be able to safely cross into the human realm."  
"But, we have observed that you command only four types of Shadowkahn" Bai Tza commented. "If your demon sponsor has only allowed the collection of four in the past two weeks, you will never make it in time."  
Kumori grinned. "Oh, I think I will. Tarakudo will not let me fail in my mission. I will retrieve the orbs soon enough, and I will soon gain an assistant in this matter."  
The demons had nothing else to say, so Kumori decided to wrap things up.  
"Well, I would love to stay and chat about the dire consequences which will befall me if I fail, but I have a movie to get back to."  
With that, he sunk back into the shadows.

"I can explain!"  
"Save it" Tsu snapped. "I used to think we were friends, Kumori, but I'm starting to think that you don't even care about anything I do. Am I really that useless now that you have this all-important demon orb quest to fulfill?"  
Kumori hung his head. "I had no intention of just leaving you, Tsu, but the situation wasn't exactly ideal."  
Tsu glowered at him. "You know, Kai was right. You don't really care. You're a manipulative, stupid little slime-ball, and I never should have taken you in. So, you can just crawl off to some other hiding hole while your stupid demon friends give you black magic. If you set foot in this tower again, it will be the last you ever take, understand?"  
Kumori was shocked. Had he really been paying so much attention to his quest that Tsu had become unimportant? He'd had no idea that it was so bad.  
But, this was bigger than him. It was bigger than Tsu.  
It was even bigger than Kai.  
Kumori turned away. "I'm sorry you feel that way Tsu. I'll go, and you can bet I won't be coming back. But, when the eclipse comes, just know that I was going to give you a chance."  
Tsu looked at him in question. "The eclipse? What does that have to do with anything?"  
Kumori growled. "It doesn't matter, especially not to you. I'll go off and be a stupid little freak again somewhere else."  
With that, Kumori spread his wings and lifted into the air.

"It is possible" Uncle concluded. "Key seems to be constructed to unlock magical containment device."  
"So, you think that Jade is trapped somewhere with magic?" Jackie asked.  
"Indeed" Uncle nodded. "If we can locate Demon Boy's hideout, we will be able to find Jade."  
"Then, what are we waiting for?" Jackie asked. "Let's start the locator spell!"  
"Will not be so simple" Uncle informed him. "Locating Demon Boy's base will be tricky. We will need time to collect ingredients for locator spell!"  
"Or, we could just follow Kumori as he flies over the city toward the bay" Tohru observed, pointing out the window where Kumori was soaring away.

Kumori was more angry than he'd been in a long time.  
"Tsu, you fool!" he growled. "You're so stuck up with your ideas, that a single misunderstanding gets me kicked out of your little group? I don't care! I have a new place, and nobody is going to find me here! Do whatever you want with me, but you wont upset the plan! I've worked too hard for too long to get here, and I am not going to jeopardize it for some petty thief who wants to watch movies."  
Kumori touched down with a rumble. The ground shook slightly as his new form struck it. He would have to be careful when landing, so as not to damage anything.  
He walked into the main room, formed a chair from a shadow, and sat down.  
"Kai" he muttered. "That wretched little felon had the gall to mention her name to me. But, I suppose I can't really hide from the memories anymore..."

(Flashback)

Taichi waited until the man unloading the cargo bay turned away, then raced down to the ground and grabbed ahold of a vehicle which was toting luggage away. He smiled. So this was San Francisco, California. He had made it to the United States.  
Dropping to the ground, he headed over to the pickup area and hailed a cab. The driver scowled to see Taichi with seemingly nothing but the clothes on his back, but the boy produced a large wad of American dollars, swaying the driver's opinion.  
Within moments, Taichi was deep within the city. He paid the driver and stepped out into the street.  
Now what would he do?  
"C'mon, Taichi" he muttered to himself. "You've come this far. You can find somewhere to go."  
It was now that the water tower on the town outskirts caught his eye.

"Better than nothing" Taichi decided as he approached the structure. "I can stay here until I find a more stable home..."  
He had no idea that he wouldn't be alone.  
A whoosh of air was followed by a steel blade appearing before his throat.  
"Do you know what this is?" a voice asked from behind."  
"Japanese Katana" Taichi replied. "thirty-seven inches long, made of tempered steel. The hilt is solid platinum, and the gems along the side are 12 karat rubies. It's not very convenient for fighting, but it's intimidating. I see that you have no intention of hurting me, since you have a weapon so poorly designed to do so."  
The stranger was taken aback. Whoever this kid was, he was smart.  
"Why are you here?" the stranger growled.  
"I could ask you the same question" Taichi replied. "It's not exactly a normal exercise to live in a water tower. Then again, I'm not very knowledgeable with your American customs, so I wont judge you by that."  
The personage was further impressed. "How old are you, kid?"  
"Eight" Taichi replied smugly.  
The figure removed the blade from before Taichi, and he turned around to see a boy, not much older than him.  
"My name is Tsu Kotowa" Tsu informed him. "I'm the leader of the water tower, and I control everything that goes on here. Who are you?"  
"Taichi Kuroken" Taichi replied. "I'm here searching for a place to stay."  
"You're in luck" Tsu grinned. "If you get the OK from the rest of the group, I'll let you stay. But, you're going to have to prove yourself to them."  
Taichi smiled. "I can handle that."

"Forty-five thousand six billion and thirty-five" Taichi said haughtily. "That's how many water molecules can be contained in a circular jar approximately twelve centimeters in height, seven in length."  
"Impressive" David grinned. "I believe you will definitely be a valuable asset to our group."  
The other children nodded. Each one had given Taichi some type of test, and he'd succeeded every time.  
"I believe that's everyone" Taichi said, turning to Tsu. "I've beaten your challenge."  
"Not yet" a voice called from behind them. Taichi turned to see a stunningly beautiful girl standing in a doorway.  
"My name is Kaila Inowaite" she informed him. "My friends call me Kai, my enemies call me any sound they can still make once I've dealt with them. If you want in, you have to go through me."  
Taichi's eyes flashed with interest. This was someone whom he might actually be challenged by.  
"I accept" he decided. "I am Taichi, and I will undergo whatever test you give."  
"Then follow me" Kai said, nodding over her shoulder.  
The two ascended a set of stairs into the main area of the water tower. A thin metal walkway had been stretched over the shimmering liquid below. The light of the moon shown through the translucent ceiling, making the water appear green.  
Kai stood about seven meters away on the platform.  
"Prepare yourself" she warned. "The first person to fall off the bridge is the victor. The loser will take a very long midnight swim while the others try to fish them out."  
Taichi paled. "You can't me serious! That must be a twenty meter drop!"  
Kai frowned. "The first thing you need to learn here is that we don't use the metric system. We use standard, so I don't want to hear any of this crap about meters. You measure in feet, inches, yards, and miles. Not necessarily in that order."  
Taichi nodded. He knew the basics of the "American" measurements. He calculated that that meant the water was around sixty feet below him. That made the drop seem even further.  
"Neither of us has a weapon" he noticed. "You're not expecting to fight hand-to-hand, are you?"  
Kai smiled. "You have a lot to learn."  
With that, she thrust out her hand and shot a stream of fire.  
Taichi barely avoided the blast. He screamed as the deadly flame scorched the tip of his fingers. A few centimeters closer, and he would have been left without a hand.  
"What was that?" he screamed. "Are you trying to kill me?"  
Fight back" Kai said simply, launching another jet of flame.  
Taichi ducked, trying to focus. He was up against a magic girl with years of experience who could shoot flames from her hands. He was a homeless thief who could persuade people to do almost anything on a whim.  
Wait a second.  
i"You really don't want to fight me"/i he stated. i"Why don't we just calm down and talk about this without any sort of death threats or the like?"/i  
Kai hesitated. The flames in her palms flickered and died. She dropped her hands. "Maybe you're right..."  
Taichi grinned. He was succeeding.  
An instant later, a fireball told him he was wrong.  
"I'm impressed" Kai remarked. "You had me for an instant, which nobody has ever been able to do before. You're an extremely powerful Charm-speaker. I knew i sensed magic in you."  
Taichi was confused. His power to make things go his way was magical? If so, that could be a great help to him.  
"Too bad your little whispered words wont stop this!" Kai called. She shot another scorching blast at him.  
iMaybe it will/i Taichi thought. Without any hesitation he stood tall and held out his hand.  
i"Stop."/i  
Instantly, the flames froze in their tracks. The pillar of pyrotechnic energy was halted.  
i"Now, get out of my sight"/i Taichi said, pointing down toward the water below. The flames roared downward, vanishing upon contact with the liquid. Taichi smiled.  
Kai simply stood there in shock. "That was amazing." she turned to Taichi. "Who iare/i you?"  
To answer her, Taichi dashed forward, grabbed her by the shoulder, and tipped sideways, sending the two of them crashing into the water below.  
"I'm Taichi Kuroken" he replied as they both surfaced. "And I think that I just made it into your little club."

(End Flashback)  
Kumori smiled as he remembered. Kai had been furious because she had actually been beaten. She had been so confident, she hadn't expected Taichi to actually best her. The punishment had been that her designer boots were not made for water, and had shrunk in the water, to the point that they had to be cut open before she could remove them.  
After that, Kai and Taichi had become a combination of friends and rivals. Taichi learned magic, while Kai tried desperately to defeat him and win back her honor. After that first night, she made many more trips down into the pool.  
Kumori frowned. When he had been with Kai, his Charm-speaking abilities had been so powerful. Now, he was lucky if he could convince a pebble to move.  
It was now that a new voice rose up within his consciousness.  
*It is time* said Skalann, a new Demon General *My Demon Orb awaits you on the peak of Mount Everest."  
"That should be fun" Kumori muttered to himself. "I get to go freeze my butt of, and I still don't have my key back."  
He pulled out the containment orb where Jade was currently being held. "I sure hope she's not freaking out in there..."

"GAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Jade screamed. "I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!"  
She had made dozens of unsuccessful attempts to break out of the sphere. She had no idea what was happening outside, and all that existed in the orb was a cramped little pocket of whiteness.  
It was official. Jade was going insane.  
"KUMORI!" she bellowed. "You let me out of here right now, or I'm going to make sure that you and your scaly demon butt get shipped back to Japan so hard you wont even know how you got there!"  
Silence. There was always silence here, and it was driving Jade mad.  
She huddled up in a ball refusing to let the tears flow again. Her cheeks were wet and salty from crying on and off constantly. It was madness.  
With the will to further her attempts to escape, she slowly drifted into a troubled sleep.

"He was here" Uncle concluded. "I can still sense his Chi. He has spent much time here before."  
"So, we found his hideout?" Jackie concluded.  
"That, or he hides something quite valuable here" Uncle nodded. "We must search for Jade. One more thing! Shadowkahn may be here, so be careful. One more thing! Uncle will try to trace Demon Boy's location."  
Jackie and Tohru nodded and walked into a corridor.  
"It is too bad El Toro and Paco had to return to Mexico" Jackie remarked.  
"Yes, but at least we now have an ingredient which is needed to defeat those Squid Shadowkahn" Tohru voiced. "As long as we have those hairs, we can still defeat the Shadowkahn."  
A buzzing sound was heard, and Jackie checked his phone to see that he had received a message from Valmont.  
"It is interesting to think that Valmont was our arch enemy a few years ago, and now I have him on my contacts list" Jackie chuckled.  
The message stated that Valmont had found an ancient manuscript detailing the probabilities of what would happen if the Oni of Tarakudo was ever restored.  
"Each time the user gains the ability to summon a new Shadowkahn their humanity fades, until they are nothing but demon" Jackie read.  
"Then we must not allow Kumori to gain all nine Demon Orbs, or he may even become more powerful than Shendu!" Tohru stated.  
"Jackie!" called Uncle from the other room. "Uncle has been able to track Demon Boy to his location!"  
Jackie and Tohru hurried into the main room where a portal was opening.  
"Remember" Uncle warned. "Demon Boy could be anywhere, so we must prepare for anything!"  
"Got it" Jackie nodded, stepping into the portal.  
In an instant, he was brought to his knees. He seemed to be atop a mountain. The frigid area was so cold and lacking oxygen that he couldn't even stand up straight.  
After a minute, he heard chanting, and the air returned to normal. A thin glassy sheen coated his body and blocked out the cold. Jackie turned to see Uncle and Tohru clad in a similar gossamer substance.  
"Uncle always keeps special charms, in case he appears in space when he transports. We can breathe for ten minutes!"  
Nearby, Kumori turned and smiled.  
"Honestly, Chan, I don't know how you keep showing up, but you're too late once more!" he smiled as he presented the Demon Orb of Skalann. "I now command one of the most versatile Shadowkahn there is!"  
"Not yet!" Tohru called. He pulled out the first thing in his pocket-the key piece-and launched it at Kumori. Almost like a protective shield, the prison sphere containing Jade flew away from Kumori. The two items met in a flash.  
When the light faded, Jade Chan stood on the icy plain. She looked around in confusion, before collapsing.  
In all of the confusion, Kumori dropped the orb, and it shattered. With no living shadow to latch on to, a bluish cloud rose and floated toward the nearest living thing-Jade.  
"Drat!" Kumori cried as the fog entered Jade's shadow. "That wasn't supposed to happen!"  
Jade, meanwhile, stood once more. Her skin had become pale blue, both from the combination of dark magic and cold, and her pupils were scarlet slits. She stared at her surroundings, confused once more.  
"Are we on a mountain?" She asked.  
Kumori knew that this would force his hand. He darted over and grabbed Jade's shadow. Jade's body seized up as Kumori overshadowed her.  
Kumori was shocked as he looked down at Jade's hands. He could still feel his actual body, but he felt like he was wearing a costume.  
"That's new" he/she smiled. With a wave of his/her hand, a black form darted into the sky from a nearby shadow.  
"Bat Kahn" he/she informed nobody. "My favorite Shadowkahn by far. They fly swifter than a sparrow, and strike like a monsoon."  
"Very nice" Uncle said as he launched a Chi beam at Jade/Kumori's face.  
Nothing happened, and Jade/Kumori smiled. "An upside to overshadowing is that the victim can't be affected by trivial things such as onions."  
Turning, Kumori directed a swarm of Bat Kahn to rise from the ground. They swirled through the air, creating a blizzard.  
Nobody really saw all of what happened next. Jackie leapt forward as the cyclone of freezing air tried to smite him. Uncle created a barrier, keeping himself and Tohru safe.  
Jackie sailed through the ice and managed to tackle Kumori's body. Kumori felt his grip being released, and knew he had only one choice. Wrenching open his eyes, he thrust the Demon Orb of Palazini into Jade's shadow.  
The world exploded, happening to coincide with the moment Uncle's spells wore off. All five persons were pulled into the portal above their heads and returned to Kumori's hideout.

Kumori congratulated himself on the memory spell he cast just as the group returned to his lair. Jackie, Tohru, and Uncle all stared in confusion at their surroundings. Kumori smiled as he snapped his fingers. The three-plus Jade-were lowered into the shadows and returned to Uncle's Rare Finds. The three adults would not remember finding the hideout, but would recall the battle.  
And, as for Jade, Kumori had already laid the trap there.  
*I once doubted your power* Tarakudo said in Kumori's mind, *But even I must admit that this net you have weaved is complex and effective. I was wise to trust you, Kumori.*  
Kumori looked into a mirror. He no longer had his great wings or savage claws. If not for the skin and draconic appearance, he could have been mistaken for human.  
But he knew, deep down, that he was still human. And humans didn't just give up, especially not on their friends.  
"Taichi" Kumori corrected as his true appearance magically disguised his current one. "My name is Taichi Kuroken, and I have an apology to make."

Several miles away, Jackie and company were celebrating Jade's return. Jade herself was lying asleep, with Uncle's magical lanterns trying to purge her Chi of the dark energy.  
"I don't remember how exactly we found Jade" Jackie smiled, "But that must be because of the cold mountain. At least she is finally safe."  
BOOM!

Jade's eyes flew open. They were red and catlike, and full of malice.  
"I hear you calling" she said to her master. "I am Jade, queen of the Shadowkahn, and mighty partner of Kumori Mikoto. I hear you, master Tarakudo, and I will seek you!"  
With that, she blew the wall of her room across the street, spread her two small black wings, and took flight.

AN: Oh dear. That victory was sort of ripped from our heroes' hands, now wasn't it? It's almost like I actually iwant/i the villain to win! Gee, why would I do that? He isn't the main focus of the story or anything, so I don't get it.  
Again, sorry for the delays. R&R, and tell me which Kahn you want to see next. This next chapter will be more of a filler chapter (no orb hunting) and slightly short, but I hope you enjoy it all the same."

Even Fire and Ice have a Dark side... 


	7. Chapter 7

Here we go! NaNoWriMo is over, and I am back in business! I will not be posting my story (mostly because I didn't finish...) but I will be writing again!

I lost a bit of info for Battle Arena, but I should be able to recover it. Don't worry, it's top on my list!

Also, does anyone think I should post my old Digimon story that I tried to write a while ago? It's not the best, but it'll keep you occupied...

So, lots of things on the way! Everybody get ready, and be happy!

Last note: I need a bit of help. I want to be able to properly illustrate my OC Digimon for Digimon Encore, but my drawing skills leave something to be desired. If any of you are good artists, look me up on deviantART (same username. He he...) and be on the lookout for concept art I will post of Lepumon, Phasedramon, and other OC forms. (don't worry. They aren't too difficult to draw!) Drop a comment on the character you want to try, and I'll know to look for it.

Thanks everyone!

Even Fire and Ice have a Dark side...


	8. Chapter 8

The author sat at his desk, typing away on a small keyboard-style device. It was three A.M. and he was worried sick.

"They're going to hate me for this" he muttered, taking another sip of coffee, before spitting it out. "Why do I drink this stuff? It's crap!" he tossed the mug over his shoulder. A clattering of broken glass and his cat's startled cry told him the wicked brew was no more.

So he sat there, dreading when he'd have to give his audience the news.

He sighed. "Might as well give it to them straight." He turned toward the figurative screen of other peoples' imaginations. A button on his desk caused the fourth wall to shatter, allowing him to walk straight into his own story. After quickly stopping a demon revolution and disarming a highly-trained group of Shadowkahn assassins, he cleared his throat and looked toward his readers.

"Eh" he began, showing off his acute verbal prowess. "I know you guys are going to hate me, but I'm going to restart this story from the begining."

The audience gave a subtle gasp.

The author nodded. "Yes, I know this may be a shock, but let's face reality: I haven't updated this since last year, I have no work done on a new chapter, and I don't like the turns my story was taking.

"My characters were being twisted into someone else, and people have told me this barely even seems like a Jackie Chan story anymore.

"I haven't watched the show in a long time, so my facts and fiction are practically blended together. So I plan to stop this story, watch the show again, then come back and restart it."

The crowd was silent. Of course, they were only listeners, after all.

The author nodded. "The other reason I'm restarting this is because I've improved my writing style since this story, and I don't want it to look like some roadside knock-off anymore. It will rreturn, but not for a while."

Having said this, the author strode back into his office, fixed the barrier between physics and fantasy, and poured himself another cup of coffee.

#  
So, there. You heard it right, or maybe you heard it left. Either way, this story is definitely going in a new direction. I'm still going to leave this one up, so everyone can clearly see my great failure.

For clarity, I do not actually drink coffee. This was my personal way of saying that it is nothing but caffeine and beans in a cup. Good thing it will cease to exist in the next 10-20 years!

(That was a joke. I do not discriminate beverages of any kind, although alcahol is pretty freaky).

So, ciao, and continue looking for my new story. I'll post a notice here when it's up, but don't expect anything until sometime around late March or early April.

#  
Even Fire and Ice have a Dark side... 


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